Sophie Ellis-Bextor is causing a flap on Strictly
Published:After impressing on Saturday, Sophie Ellis-Bextor looks unlikely to commit Murder on the Dancefloor any time soon, though her impressive moves and grooves could kill off the rest of the competition.
The 34-year-old has emerged as a real contender for the Glitterball trophy and could give Coronation Street star and bookies’ favourite Rachel Gumede a run for her money on current form.
Maybe it was linked to her quaint 1920s vocal style or eye for classic fashion, but whatever the reason, the vocalist excelled in the weekend’s challenge, performing the Charleston with the kind of gusto not seen since the prohibition era.
It was a performance that left some wondering what exactly is in the hooch they serve backstage at the BBC Studios, though in truth Ellis-Bextor has never been one to shy away from a fight.
Back in the late 90s she teamed up with a DJ called Spiller to produce the Ibiza dance classic ‘Groovejet’, a song that pipped Victoria Beckham’s debut solo effort to the coveted UK no.1 spot.
It was a chart battle to rival that of Oasis and Blur and set her out as the kind of competitive individual you would half expect to see dancing themselves silly on primetime BBC One over a decade later.
This performance alone was enough to see the 34-year-old’s odds of winning cut from 6/1 to a much shorter price of 5/2 and one woman likely to be quaking in her boots at the sophisticated showing of her rival is Abbey Clancy.
Mrs Peter Crouch had started the weekend as second favourite for the top prize, but after a dance that put the ‘bored’ in ‘Boardwalk Empire’ Liverpool’s favourite model has slipped down to odds of 7/1 to win.
Gumede, meanwhile, can accumulate all the dancing qualifications she likes, but when she loses out to the daughter of a former children’s television presenter, she’ll be the one left feeling Blue…Peter.
Sorry.
All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date
