Former Strictly Come Dancing star Oti Mabuse accuses Maddie Ingoldsby of 'not listening' to feedback
Oti criticised Maddie's choreographyOti Mabuse has criticised Strictly Come Dancing professional Maddie Ingoldsby’s choreography, warning that her approach could lead to more low scores for celebrity partner Cach Mercer.
The former Strictly champion, 36, questioned whether Maddie was receiving enough guidance during her The Fifth Judge podcast with husband Marius Iepure.
Her comments follow Cach and Maddie’s Strictly dance-off escape against Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu at the weekend.
Strictly fans divided over Maddie Ingoldsby’s choreography
Strictly Come Dancing viewers have been divided over Maddie’s routines during her first series as a professional dancer.
Last month, one viewer wrote on X: “Maddie is a great dancer, but can someone support her with the choreography here?”
Another said: “She isn’t a bad teacher by any means, it’s the choreography that needs work.”
Oti Mabuse questions Maddie Ingoldsby’s Strictly routines
Marius disagreed with Oti’s criticism, saying he enjoyed the routine and describing its style as modern.
Oti, who won Strictly with Kelvin Fletcher in 2019 and Bill Bailey in 2020, suggested Maddie needed more support.
“I feel sorry for Maddie at this point because I don’t feel like she’s being guided properly,” she said.
The former professional compared Maddie’s choreography to Dancing With The Stars, arguing that the same approach would not necessarily work on Strictly.
Oti added: “Now she’s done so many ballroom dances, she’s not listening. She’s going to get low scores.”
Her concerns centred on balancing creative routines with the technical requirements needed to impress the Strictly judges.
She suggested that choreography needed to secure strong marks rather than simply offer something different, particularly with Cach at risk of another dance-off.
The criticism follows growing debate over whether Maddie Ingoldsby’s choreography is letting Cach Mercer down.
Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby survive Strictly dance-off
Cach and Maddie scored 26 points for their waltz during Saturday’s Strictly Come Dancing live show.
The result left them joint bottom of the leaderboard alongside John Nellis and Katya Jones.
The pair subsequently faced Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu in a dramatic dance-off that split the judges.
Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse voted to save Bethany and Nancy, while Anton Du Beke and Shirley Ballas backed Cach and Maddie.
With the panel tied, head judge Shirley’s deciding vote meant Cach and Maddie survived, while Bethany and Nancy were eliminated.
The controversial result has added to the debate surrounding Maddie’s choreography, with the couple now facing pressure to improve their scores.
TVGuide has contacted representatives for Maddie for comment.
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One on Saturday, November 14, at 6.25pm.
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