Strictly Come Dancing’s Chris McCausland has responded to Lord Alan Sugar after the Apprentice boss appeared to brand his recent dance performance a “gimmick.”
The 47-year-old comedian, who is the show’s first blind contestant, performed a salsa to Down Under by Men at Work with his partner Dianne Buswell on Saturday night.
McCausland's routine featured a series of impressive lifts, earning praise from the Strictly judges and viewers at home.
Head judge Shirley Ballas was left speechless after the performance and shared: “I can’t even imagine how you managed to do that so flawlessly when you can’t see.”
However, Sugar seemed unimpressed, posting a harsh critique of Saturday’s performances on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I don’t know when Strictly Come Dancing are going to run out of contestant gimmicks,” he wrote. “I would not be surprised if they had a AI mechanical robot next year.”
I am sorry my gimmick offends you oh mighty Lord. #YoureTired https://t.co/kfs737R0lp
— Chris McCausland - New tour on sale now! 🎫 (@chrismccausland) October 13, 2024
Fans interpreted the pointed remark to be aimed at McCausland, as one wrote, “Gimmicks? Says the man who literally just points a finger. I hope Chris wins.”
In light of Sugar’s post, McCausland defended himself as he retweeted the BBC star’s post and hit back: “I am sorry my gimmick offends you oh mighty Lord. #YoureTired.”
After sharing his tweet, the comedian was inundated with support from his followers, with one writing: “There’s nothing gimmicky about you Chris. You are the real deal.”
Other fans took issue with the apparent targeting of McCausland’s disability with one commenting: “Good for you Chris. I love seeing Strictly show that ANYONE can learn to dance and enjoy dancing, no matter your size, sexuality, disability, etc.”
“If I’d realised my deafness was a gimmick, I’d have monetised that s*** years ago,” another quipped.
Following the judges' scores, McCausland made it into the top half of the leaderboard, earning a total of 30 points.
He received six points from Craig Revel Horwood and eight from each of the other three judges.
This achievement comes on the heels of McCausland addressing the backlash over comments made by eliminated Strictly Come Dancing star Toyah Willcox last week, who jokingly suggested to the remaining contestants: "If you don’t want to do a dance-off, get rid of Chris!"
However, McCausland has since come to Willcox's defence online, stating that the singer has been "nothing but beautiful and supportive" during their time together on the dance competition.
He said: “What she said on It Takes Two was funny and an incredible bloody compliment.”
