Strictly star Shaun Wright-Phillips shares 'frustrating moments' in new message after scoring low with Alexis Warr
Shaun ended up at the bottom of the leaderboardShaun Wright-Phillips has admitted frustration and anxiety affected his first Strictly Come Dancing live performance with Alexis Warr.
The former England international shared the candid Instagram update after scoring 15 points with professional partner Alexis.
His 15-point Cha Cha debut had already sparked fears he could face an early exit.
Shaun Wright-Phillips opens up about Strictly nerves
Shaun and Alexis performed a Cha Cha to Lil Boo Thang by Paul Russell. In their joint post, Shaun described two demanding training weeks and considerable frustration.
Shaun wrote: “Right, I finally finished the first dance. After two weeks of demanding training and a lot of frustrating moments, I felt quite anxious during the warm-up.”
The crowd increased those nerves, although he began settling after the routine started. He said he was pleased to have performed every step accurately.
Shaun is now eager to improve his next dance while applying the judging feedback.
Shirley Ballas praised his direction changes and timing, while highlighting leg action as an area needing improvement. Motsi Mabuse felt he had not fully embraced the performance.
For viewers, however, his visible tension became the biggest talking point.
Strictly fans urge Shaun Wright-Phillips to let loose
A fan described Shaun as entertaining but nervous and stiff, while predicting Alexis would bring out his best.
Meanwhile, one supporter wrote: “Shaun, don’t hold back, just let loose and enjoy it.” Others urged him to “loosen up”.
Some people predicted Shaun could face the first elimination.
Shaun’s own update struck a similarly forward-looking note after the difficult opening routine. He said he was keen to begin developing another dance and take the criticism on board.
The next challenge is turning accurate steps into a freer performance with more conviction.
When Shaun Wright-Phillips returns to Strictly
Shaun and Alexis are among three couples at the foot of the leaderboard. The others are Dame Sarah Storey and Julian Caillon, plus Melanie Walters and Aljaž Škorjanec.
The opening marks will combine with their scores from the next show before the first elimination. No couple left the competition after the opening performances.
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One this Saturday. Shaun will therefore have another opportunity to turn fan encouragement into a more confident performance.
Read more: Strictly host Josh Widdicombe receives playful ‘warning’ from Motsi Mabuse during first live show
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday October 3 at 6.15pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI technology to synthesise source reporting and structured data. It has been reviewed, edited, and fact-checked by our human editorial team before publication.
