Craig Revel Horwood admits he's been forced to 'mellow' his harsh judging style on Strictly by woke BBC bosses over fears of upsetting contestants

Daily Mail​

3 days ago

Strictly Come Dancing star Craig Revel Horwood admits he's been forced to 'mellow' his judging style by woke BBC bosses over fears of upsetting contestants.
Craig, 60, who's the longest serving judge after 21 years on the panel, has always been the harshest critic but now he ensures every negative comment is followed with a positive to 'encourage' the celebrity cast.
The scaling back of his onscreen persona comes after a 'change of dynamic' on the show which in recent years has seen professional dancers Graziano Di Prima and Giovanni Pernice leave the lineup over accusations of bullying.
In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, the choreographer says that in today's mainstream culture, he would likely be cancelled for the same deadpan insults he remarked two decades ago.
According to Craig, finding the right balance as a man on television can be difficult because comments are often 'misconstrued' and 'taken out of context', especially with Strictly, which is broadcast live on the BBC.
This month alone, TV chef Gregg Wallace, 60, was sacked from MasterChef after 45 of 83 allegations made against him including one of unwelcome physical contact were upheld and co-host John Torode, 59, was also axed for using racist language.
Craig, who's the longest serving judge after 21 years on the panel, has always been the harshest critic but now he ensures every negative comment is followed with a positive
Craig said: 'I have found myself mellowing slightly, especially with the change of dynamic... when you consider what I used to say, I would never be able to say those sorts of things now.
'Back 21 years ago I could be more direct but now what I do is be honest and upfront with the contestants about their routine like I am with anything, I am honest, and with Strictly I am honest but then I will try tag a positive onto the end of it.
'I generally do one point now where it's a negative and a point that's positive just to help them build and grow and give them more confidence.'
Craig, who's previously admitted comedians tend to react worst to negative feedback, unlike like sportspeople that thrive on his critic, is adamant he doesn't ramp up his insults for ego's sake and has the competitors' best interests at heart when he's dishing out advice.
He added: 'As long as I am honest and not being harsh for effect and telling the truth about the dance then no one can really go against that.
'You will only be cancelled if you're being untoward in that way or doing it for effect or your own personal gain but that isn't my case and never will be.
'Some people don't always agree with what I say, and they get swayed by their own opinion but that's not based on any dance qualifications.'
The 2025 series of Strictly Come Dancing is already in full swing as the show's pros have begun rehearsals and their celebrity partners are quietly being signed up.
And there's a real reality feel to this year's line-up, with ex-Love Island star Dani Dyer, I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! winner Vicky Pattison and Married At First Sight UK relationship guru Paul C Brunson all reportedly on board.
Their involvement confirms a significant change intact from bosses in regard to talent, as historically reality stars were banned from the show until recent years.
But Craig is all for the change and he thinks they'll benefit the show by bringing in a younger audience, just like YouTubers and TikTok stars.
The Aussie explained: 'It's a good thing we're having more reality stars because the Love Island crowd brings in a new audience.
'If you take Joe Sugg as an example, when he was on the show not many people who are the Strictly Come Dancing demographic audience would know who he is because they're not on YouTube, but he proved to be completely popular and you can understand why he has so many followers and that brings the audience to the show, it's constantly growing in audience numbers and online numbers.
'On Strictly, you get to know the person, rather than what they present to the public, you see them challenged, which is the joy of the show.
'If you didn't know someone like Pete Wicks, you have certainly fallen in love with him and start to follow him and his podcast. He has become a really good friend of mine because of that, I don't make friends with everyone, but he came to see my show at the Union Chapel in Islington, and he loved it.
'I fell in love with Pete through the show and thought he was a great contestant and I look forward this year to meeting more people like that.'
The new series will be Craig's 23rd and only himself and host Tess Daly, 56, remain from the show's debut series back in 2004.
Asked his secret to his longevity, the judge said: 'To have a long-lasting career on television you have to be honest, be yourself and not only that but always be current.
'You need to keep up with the times and embrace languages because of course over the past 20 years language has changed with text messaging, every year there's a new trend, you have to keep up with the kids.
'I have to talk on Strictly, I'm not up there demonstrating as a teacher, there's no script, so you have to react to what you see. If you react honestly to what you see, then that's the best part.'
And following the overnight demise of his fellow BBC stars, Gregg and John, does Craig have any sympathy for those who have been the subject of cancel culture, which also includes Wynne Evans, who competed on the show last year.
Craig said: 'It is difficult for anyone on television because you are in the public eye and whatever you say can be misconstrued in several different ways and it can be taken out of context quite often.
'It is important to think about what you are saying and remember that you are standing on a platform that is public, it's really important to treat people with kindness and respect, if you go against that then be it on your head.'
Craig has teamed up with Fox's Fabulous Chocolatey biscuits as they bring the first Dubai style pistachio cream filled sweet treat to UK supermarkets.
The new range, which is available exclusively in Tesco stores nationwide for six months before launching into all major food stores, hopes to bring the luxuriousness of the viral Dubai chocolate to the UK at an affordable price.
And Craig, who's known for being hard to please, has tried and tested the chocolatey biscuit and given his seal of approval, saying: 'As a luxury or with a cup of tea they are absolutely delicious.'
The dancer stars in a new video to promote the biscuits, where with one bite of the £2.65 treat, he is transported to the Middle East.
Craig said: 'Fox's Fabulous Chocolatey are going to make a killing because the biscuits are only £2.65, and you get the same experience or even better than the Dubai chocolate. Obviously from TikTok there has been an explosion of Dubai chocolate but who can actually afford it?'
Speaking about shooting the video, Craig said: 'The campaign is fun because once you have a taste of the chocolate it takes you to a dream state in Dubai where you think that's where you are but in reality, you're sitting in rain with wet washing out and I was sat in a children's pool rather than a hotel one.'
Craig, whose family recently visited the UK from Australia to celebrate his milestone 60th birthday, said his mother joined him on the Fox's Chocolatey photoshoot, and also enjoyed tasting the biscuits.
He added: 'I bought my mum, and we had such a laugh. We were pretending we were in Dubai, lounging by the pools and eating gorgeous chocolate biscuits. My mum loved them and she's very fussy about chocolate biscuits, so it was a good temperature to know whether they were good or not, but she had at least three of them!'