Strictly Come Dancing faced some blunt criticism from Richard Madeley when the Good Morning Britain star appeared on It Takes Two yesterday evening. The ITV presenter didn't mince words, as he launched into a rant about the judging panel's handling of Balvinder Sopal.
Appearing with Fleur East, Richard maintained the EastEnders star has been "consistently underrated and underscored" throughout the series - and he didn't hold back about the Strictly judges getting it "completely wrong".
In a moment that left viewers doing double-takes, Richard declared: "I think Balvinder had been consistently underrated and underscored.
"She's had good scores, but I think she's been underscored by the judges, and she's clearly been underrated by the viewers because she keeps ending up in the dance-off."
He went on to say he's "never understood" why she continuously finds herself in the bottom two, stating: "I think she's one of the best, I think she's really good."
However, the praise came with a caveat. With Bal and partner Jules preparing to tackle a Jive tomorrow evening on the BBC programme, Richard confessed he's not entirely convinced the routine will play to her strengths, reports the Express.
Describing her as "full of natural warmth and grace and charm," he noted she's "beautiful when she moves around the floor", but expressed concern the rapid footwork might prove challenging.
"I'm not sure the jive is her thing, so I think she might struggle. I don't think she'll get a 10," he said.
Viewers responded to the passionate outburst, with numerous fans backing the television personality.
One wrote on X: "I actually kind of get where Richard is coming from with the Jive regarding Bal if I'm being honest.
"Bal is warm & her movements are so lovely,which is opposite to what's needed I guess with the jive. I think she'll bring the energy tho & absolutely smash it. Go #TeamBalian."
Another echoed: "Also acknowledging that Bal has been underscored, underrated and didn't deserve to be in the DOs. Absolutely all of this" And the timing couldn't be worse."
Balvinder currently stands as the bookmakers' overwhelming favourite for elimination this weekend, while George Clarke, Karen Carney and Lewis Cope remain frontrunners.