Strictly Come Dancing legend defends Adam Thomas after he was seen ‘not clapping’ dancefloor rival
STRICTLY Come Dancing legend Brendan Cole has backed Adam Thomas after fans spotted him ‘not clapping’ his dance floor rival.
Former Emmerdale star Adam, 35, caught the attention of eagle-eyed viewers last week during the dance off.
Adam had found himself in the bottom two alongside former Love Island star Zara McDermott and her professional partner Graziano Di Prima.
But during the pair’s dance off performance, Adam stood with his arms folded as his pro Luba Mushtuk clapped along with the audience.
Fans were also convinced they spotted 26-year-old ‘Zara turn her back on Adam’ after she was given the boot.
But Brendan, who competed in 15 series’ of Strictly, has defended the Waterloo Road star.
Speaking to Sky Bingo, Brendan said: “I’ve very rarely seen people that don’t support everybody and quite often in a situation like that, it’s about something else.
“It could have been just before his [Adam’s] number for example. He could have been right in the zone for his own routine and people shouldn’t underestimate how intense it can be before your number.
“You’ve worked so many hours on it and it’s such an important thing for you to stay in the competition. So quite often you are just in your own little zone, worrying about what you’re about to do or even after you’ve danced worrying about something that you did wrong.”
Brendan, 47, added: “I don’t think people should ever read into what they see backstage. Some people get on brilliantly, some people won’t.
“But ultimately most people are just caring about themselves during showtime because it is such an epic, epic thing to try to succeed in.”
Adam and Zara ended up in the dance off following this year’s Halloween special of Strictly Come Dancing.
Zara and Graziano were voted out unanimously by the judges – and her boyfriend Sam Thompson was not happy.
He went on to take a swipe at the BBC One show, which has contributed to the ongoing controversy surrounding claims that it is ‘unfair and rigged’.
Speaking on Hits UK With Sam Thompson, Sam said: “So the week we have all been dreading – my girlfriend Zara McDermott, was sadly voted off Strictly Come Dancing this week.
“And look, if I’m honest and I’m always honest with you, we all knew it was coming pretty soon.
“It was her third dance off, and everyone else, and I know Zara won’t mind me saying this, everyone else is a better dancer than her.
“Most [contestants left] have had some sort of theatre training, let alone dance training and she trained for 12 hours a day every single day.”
He added: “I barely got to see her, and she put every single ounce of herself into it.
“She can walk out with her head held incredibly high and I said this to her; ‘you beat everyone else who couldn’t dance, who’ve never danced before, so you’re my winner.”