Michelle Visage is voted out of 'Strictly' amid flurry of controversy over Vogue routine

    Katie Archer
    Contributor

    Michelle Visage has been voted out of Strictly Come Dancing over a routine that has bitterly divided viewer opinion.

    Her Vogue-inspired Couple’s Choice routine with Giovanni Pernice had promised to be one of the highlights of the annual episode from Blackpool’s Tower Ballroom, especially when Visage gave an emotional explanation of how much the dance meant to her.

    Read more: Anton du Beke gets his first 10s in 17 series of Strictly

    But not everyone got it, with ex-pro dancer James Jordan branding it “not dancing, just posing” and many viewers were in agreement.

    However, other viewers who understood the significance of vogueing for the LGBTQ community and how much Visage’s dedication meant disagreed with the opinion that it didn’t include enough dancing.

    It wasn’t a big surprise to see them in the dance off as they were bottom of the leaderboard during a particularly strong week, but they were up against Saffron Barker and AJ Pritchard who faced their first time in the bottom two after a dance that had impressed judges and fans.

    Barker cried as her name was called out for the dance off, but ultimately managed to impress the judges with her Quickstep and stay in the competition.

    All four judges voted to keep Barker instead of Visage, something that did not go down well with lots of Strictly fans.

    Visage had no regrets about her choice of dance, saying: “To be here for my husband, my kids, an entire community, that’s why I did what I did and I’m so honoured.”

    Both Visage and Pernice made reference to recent reports that they had fallen out during training, admitting that they did have a fiery relationship but also a lot of respect for each other.

    Read more: Michelle Visage calls Giovanni Pernice her rock as she dismisses rift rumours

    Visage said: “I knew we would be dynamic, we would be explosive, we would love as much as we fight.

    “And I love him so much.”

    She also called him “my rock, my best friend” and added “he could take it as much as he could dish it...I’m going to miss seeing him every day.”

    Pernice told his partner: “We laugh, we cry, we fight, we argue. I’ve loved every minute, I think you are inspirational and with this dance you wanted to send a message.”

    Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday at 7pm on BBC One.