Dancing On Ice's Michaela Strachan defended by ex winner in swipe at judges
James Jordan believes the scores on Dancing On Ice last weekend didn't reflect some of the contestants' performances.
Michaela Strachan and her skating partner Mark Hanretty topped the leader board with a perfect score of 40, and she received a nine for her solo skate.
Sadly leaving the competition was former bookies' favourite Dan Edgar, who lost his place in the skate-off against Anton Ferdinard.
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Now, Michaela, Anton and Coronation Street star Sam Aston will compete for the winning title this weekend.
Sharing his critique, the show's 2019 winner James believes Michaela's competitors were scored too highly during the semi-final.
He told Reach PLC via Sky Vegas: “To be fair, all of them – Dan, Sam, Anton, and Michaela have produced great routines throughout the series.
"But last [weekend] Michaela and Mark were on another level. They were rightly top of the leader board, and yet the scoring didn’t reflect just how much better they were."
He went on to say the gap between the duo and their rivals "should have been much bigger".
"Instead, it was just 0.5, when in reality, the difference was huge. The judges made it seem like it was a close contest when it really wasn’t," he added.
James believes the winner will either be Michaela or Sam, given Anton's position in the skate-off multiple times.
The outspoken dancer went on to say he doesn't believe Rio Ferdinand's brother should be in the final, remarking: "Clearly, he’s not getting the same level of support as the others.
"He’ll likely do the routine that earned him straight 10s, which will help him, but I don’t think he can deliver a bolero on the same level as the other two."
Furthermore, James said he would "love to see a female winner" take the crown, as "it's been too long".
"Michaela has proven she’s the strongest skater left, especially after her semi-final performance," he added.
Should the Springwatch presenter be crowned this year's champion, she will be the first female winner since the show revamped in 2018.
According to new Betway odds, Michaela is the current favourite to win. Spokesperson Mike Reading shared his thoughts ahead of the big night, stating: "Michaela has been the frontrunner in the betting markets for much of the season, and her consistently high-quality performances have kept her close to the top of the leader board.
"She enters the final as the 4/7 odds-on favourite for victory alongside her partner Mark Hanretty. However, Corrie star Sam Aston is still in touch at 6/4 to win, seemingly making this a two-horse race for the Dancing on Ice crown!".
Dancing On Ice concludes tonight at 6.30pm on ITV and ITVX.
