Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood has opened up about his new “softer” way of judging after looking back at the “cutting” words he previously used.
Horwood has always been known for his harsh criticism and brutal feedback towards the celebrity contestants – often receiving a disagreeing boo from the audience.
However, this series a lot of fans have picked up on the fact that Horwood seems to have softened in his years on the show.
One star who also noticed the change was former Strictly favourite Vincent Simone who told GB News through Jackpotjoy: “To be honest, now that I think about it, it’s one thing that I spotted for years.
“Every time Craig judges a couple, it starts with, ‘Lumpy, blah, blah, stumpy… But I loved it!’ And then the score doesn’t match the bad comments.
“It’s one thing that he’s always been renowned for, but I love it. I love the fact that he does say the truth, sometimes over exaggerating on some of the comments negatively.”
Craig admitted that he looked back on his past comments and thought they were “cutting”
BBC
Now, Horwood himself has addressed the comments from long-term fans about his softer comments and claimed that he has in fact “changed” his style of judging.
Speaking to RadioTimes, he explained: “I have changed my style of judging,.. It was really harsh 20 years ago. When I look back, I think, ‘Ooh, that’s cutting.’ It would now be classed as bullying, and then I’d be cancelled.
“It’s not fear of being cancelled. It’s just, how can I reach out to them and help them to improve, rather than just saying, ‘This is wrong, that’s wrong.’ I’m thinking more like a teacher.
“Over the years I’ve been keeping all these comments and so-called death threats from people who have five followers and no dance knowledge, and I’m going to shame them.”
On Saturday night, Craig awarded his first 10 of the series
BBC
He went on to add that he treats comments regarding his brutal comments as a cartoon and will often reply with a sarcastic jibe which will hit out on their spelling.
Horwood’s revelation comes off the back of his comments to Chris McCausland which caused backlash from viewers at home.
After they performed their American Smooth to Jump by Paul Anka last week he jibed: “I thought you were slightly ahead getting into the line-up.”
“It’s only what I saw. The arm extensions could do with some finesse, you need to work from the shoulder to the elbow and out to the hand itself.”
As the boos rang out through the audience, Horwood persisted: “It lacked any swing or sway.”
On X one fan hit out: “Chris was bl**dy brilliant…immaculate timing. Just as good as the pro’s. 8….really Craig – that was a 10 all day long. #Strictly #StrictlyComeDancing.”
Tasha and Aljaz were left stunned at receiving their first 40 of the series
BBC
A second also slammed: “FFS Craig, the man is blind, danced in time with a group of dancers and you only give an 8! Give the man a f***ing break! Even Motsi was unfair. #Strictly.”
“Absolute bulls*** from Craig…….brilliant Chris #strictly,” a third raged, followed by applause emojis.
“Chris deserved 40. Hate this ‘I need to be an antagonist’ mentality from Craig.. #Strictly,” a fourth echoed before a fifth blasted: “Craig is such a soul-sucking a**. Chris is BLIND FFS.” (sic)