Remember me
Strictly Come Dancing is now just days away from crowning its 2025 champion, and as the pressure ramps up, George Clarke has admitted he thought he’d be fuming at the producers by this point.
The YouTuber joked that he expected to be “unbelievably angry” about being handed two full-on routines for the semi-final – a week that already pushes celebs to the brink. This year, the season 23 contestants are juggling double the choreography, double the stamina, and double the stress as they head into one of the toughest stages of the competition.
Balvinder Sopal and Julian Caillon have a waltz and a salsa on their to-do list, while Karen Carney and Carlos Gu are tackling the same combo. George and pro partner Alexis Warr have been saddled with a Charleston and a notoriously demanding samba. Meanwhile, Amber Davies is preparing her Couple’s Choice alongside a fiery Tango.
George and Alexis chatted to Janette Manrara on It Takes Two on Thursday night, giving fans a peek at their frantic prep – and confirming that the semi-final is no joke this year.
George joked he would be ‘angry’ at producers over the pressure of semi-final week (Credit: BBC)
Strictly’s George Clarke thought he’d be ‘angry’ at producers
Janette asked how the star felt about learning two dances now as the competition heats up. It turns out, George isn’t concerned at all.
Janette asks the YouTube star: “Two dances this week, and two pretty full on dances, they’re not going easy on you?”
George admitted: “I thought I would grabbing a producer by the lapels and being unbelievable angry. I’m really enjoying it actually, I don’t know what’s happened.”
He said smiling to his pro dancer sitting next to him.
Alexis joked: “This show has changed him!”
He added: “The Charleston, I thought I would really enjoy but I’ve heard so many bad words spoken about the samba. But we’ve gotten to know each other and he’s a great guy!”
George is hopeful he’ll make it to the final (Credit: BBC)
Alexis went into ‘panic mode’
But things between George and Alexis haven’t always run quite so smoothly. Alexis admitted she went into full panic mode during their previous Instant Dance challenge – the week Strictly threw out the rulebook and forced everyone to perform with virtually no prep.
The 25-year-old ended up dancing a tango on the night, but it didn’t unfold the way they’d imagined. With no rehearsal time and only minutes to gather their thoughts, the couples had to rely entirely on everything they’d learned so far in the competition. It was a world away from the usual routine of drilling choreography for days.
Mid-performance, George even broke character after wrestling unsuccessfully with his oversized red coat, and at one point the pair knocked knees, prompting him to suppress a laugh. Unfortunately, the routine earned them just two points from the judges – the second-lowest score of the night – making the Instant Dance a moment they’d both probably rather forget.
Alexis later told Janette Manrara during It Takes Two the following week that she ‘panicked’.
“It was a fast thinking process,” Alexis laughed.
“I don’t know. I panicked.”
“We used the time well, though, I think, the 10 seconds,” George protested.
“I don’t know if he was listening to what I was saying,” Alexis then interrupted.
“No,” George admitted.
“So I guess I just had to embrace the chaos,” Alexis then added.
Strictly continues Saturday, December 13 at 6.50pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Comments (0)