BBC Strictly star addresses voting format and says Shirley Ballas made 'right decision'

Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Vincent Simone has weighed in on the voting system as viewers demand significant changes to the BBC show. Last week's elimination of X Factor winner and Coronation Street star Shayne Ward caused an uproar among fans.

Shayne was ousted after head judge Shirley Ballas cast the deciding vote for Welsh opera singer Wynne Evans to stay. Shayne and his dance partner Nancy Xu's Rumba didn't hit the mark, landing them at the bottom of the leaderboard, while Wynne and his partner Katya Jones' American smooth left them just above the danger zone.

On Sunday (November 10), judges Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse voted to save Shayne in the dance-off, but Anton Du Beke chose Wynne. Head judge Shirley Ballas confessed the choice was "quite difficult" as she didn't want to see either couple go, praising their performances throughout the series.

Nevertheless, Shirley's decision to save Wynne for his "much more powerful and joyous routine" meant he would be heading to the legendary Blackpool ballroom the following week. Following Shayne's departure, fans have voiced their disapproval on social media, accusing Shirley of showing bias towards Wynne.

Speaking on behalf of 10bet, Vincent, who appeared in six series of Strictly, addressed the "very close" dance-off, commenting: "I think there should be an element of the public because every year we say 'Is it a popularity contest or is it dancing?' so you always want the mix.", reports the Liverpool Echo.

He added: "We always said, even back to my years, if the public didn't vote enough to take you out of the dance-off then at that point maybe it is right to be up to the dancing skills to go through? But yes, I agree with the final decision, but it was very close."

He also mentioned the difficulty in judging different dance styles, stating: "It is hard to compare two completely different dances. How do you do that? but I think on the night it was what it was. I mean, I was a bit upset in the way because actually he danced a better Rumba in the live show than he did on the results show. His posture was a bit more taller and stronger. In the dance-off, I think he was trying too hard and he was a bit hunched forward and that's when I thought 'OK, he's lost it now'."

Expressing slight disappointment, Vincent recounted: "It is hard to compare two completely different dances. How do you do that? but I think on the night it was what it was. I mean, I was a bit upset in the way because actually he danced a better Rumba in the live show than he did on the results show. His posture was a bit more taller and stronger. In the dance-off, I think he was trying too hard and he was a bit hunched forward and that's when I thought 'OK, he's lost it now'."

Vincent added said: "Unfortunately the Rumba is a hard dance from the man's point of view, especially because you really need to have dancing skills to not only lead the lady and tell the story but also to do all the technical aspects of it.

"I think he did an amazing job personally. I was kind of impressed. It's just one of those things where you need two weeks instead of one. I think if you give two weeks for the Rumba then you'll have more time to process all the technical aspects of it and do a better job. It was a good Rumba, it was a really good Rumba.

"It's a shame because Shayne is going to miss out on Blackpool and maybe he would have done better there and everything would have been the other way around but it is what it is. Every year there's always been an exit or a couple leave earlier on in the competition where you think, 'oh, what a shame' because the couple could have done so much better throughout the course of the show. It's just the way it is."

Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturdays and Sundays on BBC One