Exclusive
Strictly's Luba Mushtuk defends Craig Revel Horwood after fierce backlash over 'savage' scoring
25 November 2019, 13:22 | Updated: 25 November 2019, 13:34
Professional dancer Luba Mushtuk has hit back at criticism over Craig Revel-Horwood’s harsh scoring on Strictly.
There was another dramatic Strictly Come Dancing results show over the weekend as Saffron Barker became the latest celeb to be booted off the show.
But it was judge Craig Revel-Horwood who came under fire after he gave some seemingly harsh scores to the remaining stars.
The infamously difficult judge gave Alex Scott and Neil Jones for their Argentine tango, while Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Bruno Tonioli scored them sevens and an eight.
And YouTuber star Saffron, 19, and AJ Pritchard ended up in the bottom two after Craig, 54, gave her a five for their Samba.
Even Karim Zeroual faced the wrath of Craig after he was criticised for lacking “emotional content” in his contemporary routine.
This didn’t go unnoticed by fans at home, who were quick to brand the star as ‘savage’ and ‘unfair’ on Twitter.
But professional dancer Luba Mushtuk has now defended Craig, explaining the reason behind his low scoring.
In an exclusive interview with us at Heart.co.uk, she said: “Craig was really harsh on everyone.
“But he really wants to push them so maybe he’s harsh, but he’s doing it for the good.”
This comes after Saffron was left in tears as she left the ballroom for good.
When asked whether she thought it was the right decision, Luba - who was paired with rower James Cracknell - told us: “By this point in the competition they’re all so good and they all work so hard so they’re already winners.
“It’s just a part of the game, but they all are working so hard. Everyone is so surprised to be where they are. In week 1, most of them didn’t think I would ever make it to week 10, so we’re so proud of them.”
Speaking about fan favourite Karim ending up in the bottom two, she explained that maybe people didn’t vote because they assumed he was safe.
“Sometimes people think the dance was so amazing they don’t have to vote,” she said, continuing: “People think they are safe so they give the vote to people who are not that great.”
CBBC presenter Karim previously studied at drama school and has had some West End experience.
Touching on this, Luba added: “In this competition we always have people who have danced before and people who have never danced before so it’s a beautiful mix.
“I don’t think that works against Karim. He’s a wonderful dancer, they’re all becoming wonderful dancers.”
