The 2021 series of Strictly Come Dancing aired at the weekend, with EastEnders star Rose Ayling-Ellis making history as the show’s first-ever deaf winner.
While AJ Odudu was sadly forced to drop out of the competition ahead of Saturday’s final after suffering a leg injury in rehearsal, the show did indeed go on with Ayling-Ellis and Bake Off winner John Whaite going head-to-head with three stunning performances each.
Back with his final column of the year is former Strictly Come Dancing professional Ian Waite, who spoke to RadioTimes.com about his thoughts on this weekend’s epic final and who he’d like to see on the 2022 series.
Ian Waite on the Strictly 2021 final
!["Strictly]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/12/23946354-high_res-strictly-come-dancing-2021-33663e6.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"strictly-come-dancing\"")
Saturday’s show was absolutely amazing. It was spectacular on so many levels. I was so upset for AJ Odudu and Kai Widdrington as they didn’t get to dance in that wonderful final – I think that would have just been the icing on the cake.
For me, it was one of the most emotional finals I’ve ever seen because every dance made you want to cry. I think everybody I know that watched the final just thought it was the best final ever.
Ian Waite on Rose Ayling-Ellis winning
I thought both John Whaite or Rose Ayling-Ellis would have been worthy winners but I was so pleased that Rose and Giovanni Pernice won. She’s overcome her disability and actually turned it into an advantage. Every step of the way, she followed Giovanni and I think the chemistry between the two of them, and also the communication between the two of them, was just really special to watch.
As a viewer every week, they seemed to up their game with every dance. My particular favourite was the Couple’s Choice where the music was cut out, and we got to hear what she hears every week, and it was so powerful to see – I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house.
Strictly High of the Week
!["Strictly]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/12/23947001-high_res-strictly-come-dancing-2021-69ed595.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"strictly-come-dancing-john-whaite\"")
Well, it’s difficult because there were so many highlights. It’s just been a really special year and the most diversity that we’ve ever had.
Having two men dance with each other in the final was the highlight for me – to have that representation and to make it normal. It is great that people found it okay to watch and okay to vote for them. Back in my day on Strictly, it was never even thought that that could happen because it was assumed that the British public wouldn’t accept it and just to see them in the final just shows how far we’ve come as a society.
Strictly Low of the Week
!["Aj]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/12/strictly-come-dancing-aj-odudu-6a93670-e1639852653457.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Aj")
Well, obviously AJ not being in that final. I loved her dancing from the very beginning when she did her jive in the first week. I thought she was such a brilliant dancer, she’d been trained so well by Kai.
I thought Kai’s first appearance as a pro on Strictly, he just showed what a brilliant dancer he is. I’ve known him since he was a little boy growing up in Southampton. He’s always been one of the best dancers I’ve ever seen, and it’s so, so nice to see a British boy do so well on the show. I look forward to seeing him in future series.
My last series on Strictly was with Jade Johnson and she had to pull out due to a knee injury in the quarter-finals, so I know how it feels. It’s absolutely gutting – we were tipped for the final and to not actually get there just because of an injury instead of playing out your whole dream as it were is heart-wrenching.
Ian Answers…
Who was your favourite pairing throughout the whole competition?
Well, that’s a really difficult one. I think I mostly loved Rose and Giovanni because they seem to get on so well. They seem to be great friends. Obviously, their chemistry was so great that people were just drawn into their way of communicating and I think Rose was so endearing all the way through. For me that’s what came across.
To be honest, all three finalists – and I’m going to say AJ is a finalist because she was – really came across so well throughout the whole show. I loved all of their relationships and I thought they were great personalities. It was a pleasure to watch them.
Who would you like to see on Strictly Come Dancing next year?
There are so many celebrities but wouldn’t it be lovely to see a comedian like Michael McIntyre on the show? Or the lovely Alan Carr would be fun. Let’s have him in a same-sex partnership next year.
Whether they’ll do that again, why not? Why not make it a regular feature every year? Why not have two couples? An all-male couple and an-all female couple. Let’s have Clare Balding dancing with another woman.
Waite’s Week
I am doing a little Zoom event for the charity Dystonia UK later and I’m teaching them a Charleston online so that’s going to be fun.
As for the rest of my week, I’m probably going to be preparing for Christmas. I’m going to be shopping, getting all the presents. I’ve been so busy, I haven’t had time to buy everybody’s presents yet. I have a few but not all of my family’s so I will be shopping and just gearing up for Christmas – doing lots of food shopping probably.
I’m looking forward to the rest time because I’ve just recovered from COVID and can’t wait to chill out and enjoy Christmas. I’m also excited for the New Year coming because I will be touring again in April with the Ballroom Boys alongside Vincent Simone in our brand new show Act Two.
Ian’s The Ballroom Boys Tour returns in the New Year.
Looking for something to watch in the meantime, check out our full TV Guide or visit our Entertainment hub for the latest news.
This year’s Radio Times Christmas double issue is on sale now, featuring two weeks of TV, film and radio listings, reviews, features and interviews with the stars.