WEEK 2: Football stars continue to shine in the ballroom!

In week two of Strictly Come Dancing, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Karen Carney continued to shine in the ballroom as they took on their next dancing challenge with the hopes of making it through to movie week by surviving the public vote. Read on to see how they got on!

This week Karen was first, and she commented on how “sensational” last weekend was for her and how she hasn't “seen [herself] that happy since [she’s] played [football]”. However, a different challenge awaited Karen this week with her and Carlos’ tango to Training Season by Dua Lipa. She revealed that she has a condition called Germans which affects the curvature of her spine, which makes the posture and frame needed for ballroom dancing. Her partner, Carlos, commented about how “incredible” Karen is overcoming her condition to still be able to dance in the show this week. They even had a visit from Karen’s “best mate” and ex-teammate Jill Scott, where the two of them and Carlos recorded an episode of their podcast ‘Long Story Short’, whilst showing off a section of their tango. 

After they danced, Motsi commented that she “could feel the nerves” but also that Karen approached the dance with “lots of speed and attack”. Shirley agreed that Karen looked nervous, but said that she thinks the two of them will “do a great paso[doble]”. Anton gave the pair tips on how to alter their frame in order to “give [them] naturally a bit more space”, but complimented Karen’s approach to dancing saying that she brings “so much, [her] timing, the cleanness of [her] dance, [her] spins”. Craig commented that the dance was “a little bit skippy” and there was “some awkwardness” in her turns, but commented on her “beautiful handshaping” throughout the dance. 

Despite some criticism, Karen told Claudia that she’s having “the best time” and that she’s “used to constructive criticism” through her time as a footballer. When asked about the support she receives from the Lionesses and her ex-teammates, she said that “the Lionesses obviously mean so much to [her]” and that as a team they’ve “always backed each other”. She and Carlos were awarded a four from Craig, a five each from Motsi and Shirley and a six from Anton, giving the pair a total of 20 from this week and therefore a combined score of 51 from this week and last week’s combined total. 

Jimmy, on the other hand, performed a cha cha cha to I Heard It Through The Grapevine by Santa Esmerelda, and he commented in the training footage that “the cha cha is so different than the quickstep” and that “it’s very hippy”. Despite struggling to let his hips become looser, he commented that he was “really excited to do it on Saturday night with Lauren”. 

Craig said that the dance “was a little bit heavy” but that his “hips were swinging so much”. Motsi stated that she “loved the fact that [he] enjoyed [himself]” but that he needed to “work on [his] leg action”. Shirley and Anton were both extremely complimentary, with Shirley commenting that “it had an absolutely fabulous feeling”, that it was “grounded” and that he and Lauren have “a great chemistry together”, and Anton simply stating that he “loved it”. 

Jimmy commented more on his partnership with Lauren when they talked to Claudia, saying that “She’s sweet, but when it has to be work it’s, ‘No, Jimmy, work’. I love it.” Their score this week was 25, with Craig, Motsi, and Shirley giving the couple  a six, and Anton giving them a seven, meaning their combined score was 52. 

Going into the results show, Jimmy was joint fourth with Alex Kingston, and Karen was only one point behind in fifth place. Luckily, both of them have made it through to week three of the competition, which is also movie week (the first themed week of the show). Eliminated this week was Tom Skinner and his professional partner Amy Dowden, after he faced off against Chris Robshaw and his partner Nadiya Bychkova. Tune in next Saturday on BBC One to see our footballers turned dancers perform in the next episode of Strictly Come Dancing!