Strictly Come Dancing 2026 judge Anton Du Beke under fire over his treatment of 'upset' Shaun Wright-Phillips
Shaun scored the lowest of the nightStrictly Come Dancing 2026 fans slammed Anton Du Beke for his treatment of Shaun Wright-Phillips tonight (Saturday, October 24).
The footballer scored just 17 points for his jive with Alexis Warr, leaving the star visibly emotional and fans “gutted”.
Shaun is the current favourite to be eliminated next.
Shaun Wright-Phillips’ ‘disastrous’ jive on Strictly Come Dancing 2026
Tonight’s show saw Shaun perform a jive to Faith by Stevie Wonder and Ariana Grande.
However, immediately after the routine finished, Shaun appeared dismayed, and he had good reason to be, with the judges telling the star that there had been several mistakes in his performance.
“How do you think he did?” Emma Willis asked Anton. “Uh…yeah. There must be something in the water tonight,” he said, before referencing an earlier comment he’d made to Lawrence Robb about not dancing the same routine as his partner.
“It went a bit wrong, didn’t it?” Anton said. “Yeah, that was me,” Shaun said.
“Oh, I know it was you, my love,” Anton quipped. “I’m under no illusion that it was you.”
He then went on to say that he believes Shaun has a “great future” in the dance industry “at some point”.
“As soon as you clear up the steps and the timing and the…it’ll all be marvellous!”
Judges score Shaun low
Craig, meanwhile, branded it a “disaster, darling”, adding that there was “no real saving it, I’m afraid”.
Motsi attempted to be more positive, praising Shaun for giving his “utmost” every week and handling the dance world with “so much respect”.
Meanwhile, Shirley sympathised with Shaun, pointing out that a move had thrown him. “Once we’re off, it’s difficult to get back on,” she said.
However, the judges didn’t really hold back with their scoring. Both Craig and Shirley gave the routine a score of three. Motsi gave a four, and Anton gave a generous six.
Strictly Come Dancing 2026 fans slam Anton
Following the routine, fans took to social media to slam Anton for his treatment of Shaun.
“I didn’t really like that from Anton. I think Shaun was well aware how bad it was; he didn’t need the whole room laughing at him,” one said.
“Anton basically told Shaun he was [bleep], then gave him a 6? Make that make sense,” another wrote. “Sack Anton, he’s a disgrace. Takes the [bleep] out of Shaun then gives him a 6…Get someone else who can judge objectively in,” a third fumed.
“Anton du Beke getting cheap laughs at the expense of an obviously upset Shaun Wright Phillips was despicable,” another said.
“I normally like Anton but there was no need for those comments. They were not constructive criticism, just going for a cheap laugh, and not funny. Expected better of @TheAntonDuBeke,” another said.
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