Strictly Come Dancing's JB Gill has defended his participation in the show after facing criticism following his first performance with professional partner Amy Dowden. The BBC One show, known for its diverse celebrity line-up, has sparked debate over whether celebrities with prior dance experience should be allowed to compete. As a former member of X Factor boyband JLS, JB's extensive dance background has surprised fans and drawn criticism, along with Love Island star Tasha Ghouri.
Speaking on ITV's Lorraine, JB defended his position, explaining that he didn't have "Latin or Ballroom Dance," experience and credited his wife as his secret weapon for her support and commitment to his Strictly journey. Host Lorraine initiated the discussion, expressing frustration at the common assumption that being in a boyband equates to having ballroom dance experience. Defending himself against criticism, JB said: "All I can say is the only dance I did before was a jive.
Other than that I have got no understanding of Ballroom or Latin dancing - other than what we did last week and this week with the Cha Cha - and it hurts." Amy jumped to JB's defence, saying: "You know I think it says everything, you know Ashton [Merrygold] did it and he didn't go all the way to the final and he's got more dance experience than you," reports the Express . Before Amy could finish, Lorraine cut in, asking JB: "It wasn't really dancing though to be fair though, was it? " JB replied: "It's movement," as the host.
