Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood didn't hold back on his thoughts as he prepares to return to the judging panel for the show's special 20th anniversary series Get the latest entertainment news sent straight to your inbox with our weekly Showbiz newsletter We have more newsletters Get the latest entertainment news sent straight to your inbox with our weekly Showbiz newsletter We have more newsletters Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood is no stranger to an honest opinion, as his latest interview proves. With his return to the judging panel just around the corner, Craig reflected on how the quality of dance has soared since the show's inception and took a swipe at Natasha Kaplinsky while doing so. Looking back on the show's 20-year history, Craig, 59, remarked that series one winners, newsreader Natasha and Brendan Cole, wouldn't stand a chance in today's competition with their performances from 2004, as the bar has been significantly raised.
He shared: "I have softened over the years because the standard has gone up. If you think back to the people that won it, like Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole, I mean, that wasn't good! That wouldn't wash now." Craig, the longest-serving judge on the show, believes that it was Jill Halfpenny, the winner of the second series, who truly elevated the competition.
Her Jive performance was so impressive that it led Craig to award his first-ever 10 score after she "nailed" the routine and set a new benchmark for fut.