Strictly Come Dancing viewers have been left raging after comments made by Motsi Mabuse in response to Karen Carney’s tango.
Last week, the former Lioness, 38, wowed everyone with her jive, topping the leaderboard and, in turn, soaring up the betting odds to become one of the favourites to win the whole series.
But this week, the feedback she received from the judges was more mixed.
Ahead of her performance to Training Season by Dua Lipa, rehearsal footage saw Karen open up about one of the challenges she’s faced.
‘I have this thing called Scheuermann’s, I’ve had it since I was a kid. It’s a curve in my spine,’ she explained.
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‘It’s really, really hard for me to open my back up.
‘There are certain elements that I just won’t be able to do as well as I’d love to.’
Admitting it hadn’t been the easiest week, she praised her professional partner, Carlos Gu, for being ‘really supportive and encouraging’.
Scheuermann kyphosis, also known as Scheuermann disease, is a skeletal disorder. It typically develops during adolescence, and those with the condition cannot consciously correct their posture.
It affects the vertebrae and rounds the upper back, creating a hunched appearance.
Therefore, when judge Motsi suggested that Karen’s curved spine could be ‘challenged’, fans were quick to hit back, admitting how ‘disgusted’ they were at the remark.
‘First of all, thank you for sharing with us about your curved spine,’ Motsi told Karen.
‘It’s going to be something that we have to challenge, to see how far we can really stretch and open up, because it’s a ballroom dance, and there’s a specific posture that we need.’
‘That being said, last week you were top of the leaderboard, and there was a bit of an ease in the way you attacked; this week, I could feel the nerves,’ she also told her.
‘Think about breathing, think about loosening up, connecting to your partner, and really understanding the fundamentals.’
While Karen was more than willing to take the feedback on board, it didn’t take long for viewers at home to start venting on X, eager to remind Motsi that Karen’s curved spine cannot simply be altered.
‘Quite disgusted that Karen opened up about having a condition that causes a curved spine and Motsi’s reaction was to say they should “challenge” it instead of accommodating it’, @RachelCDailey wrote.
‘Did Motsi just suggest that Karen has to ‘work’ on her spine curvature’, asked a bewildered @lindakimou.
@JaneGSafc added that it was ‘beyond ridiculous’ to criticise someone for ‘something they cannot do anything about’.
‘Ngl disappointing to hear a judge saying that a spinal curvature needs to be challenged’, agreed @WriterofQueen, to which @issywxx replied: ‘As someone who’s had spinal surgery for scoliosis I was trying to find some positive way to interpret it but I just can’t’.
‘Motsi being a bit harsh and too personal with mentioning the curved spine and how it may affect her scoring.. its a medical condition. Hope she treats all other competitors with that same view point!’, wrote @plug_in_baby_x.
Ultimately, Karen scored 20 points for her tango, which gets added to last week’s points ahead of the first elimination tomorrow night.
As for the rest of her feedback from the judges, Craig Revel Horwood admitted he found the performance more Argentine tango than tango, and ‘a little bit skippy’ and ‘awkward’ in the under-arm turns.
‘But you were driving that, my darling, and you hit some really amazingly strong lines,’ he complimented.
Karen then told host Claudia Winkleman that she’s ‘used to constructive criticism’ in football, and she ‘takes on board’ what the judges have told her.
‘I want to be better and I tried my hardest, and that’s all you can do in life.’
Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturdays and Sundays on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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