Fleur East had the comeback to end all comebacks on Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday, when she bounced back from the dance-off to get a score of 38 out 40 and have Shirley Ballas on her feet, a week after the head judge was accused of being 'sexist' and 'having a problem' with the X Factor star.
And Shirley's standing ovation for Fleur did not go un-noticed by viewers at home.
Fleur was the early favourite to win in the eyes of experts, as soon as her name appeared on the Strictly line-up, with many fans also earmarking her as the one to beat. However, those expectations haven't really been borne out in the live shows, as, prior to Saturday, Fleur hadn't troubled the top of the leaderboard and received some rather lukewarm comments from the judges.
Head judge Shirley came under fire from some viewers last week, with them accusing the former dance world champion of being 'sexist,' after she declared that she would have kept axed contestant Richie Anderson in ahead of her.
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Well, Fleur and pro partner Vito Coppola put their bottom two disappointment behind them in serious style when they performed a red hot Argentine Tango to Paint it Black. Their Argentine Tango was the first of the current series and it wowed everyone in the ballroom, as emphatic cheers rang out at the end of the performance and Shirley rose to her feet. A day after Fleur defended her on It Takes Two, Shirley was full of praise for the performance, as were all of the judges.
While Shirley and colleague Craig Revel-Horwood awarded 9s, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke both gave 10s, putting Fleur and Vito at the top of the leaderboard with score of 38, before they were later eclipsed by Hamza and Jowita, after they got 39 for their samba.
Speaking about Shirley and the backlash she's faced on It Takes Two, Fleur said: "Oh my goodness, I couldn’t believe it. There’s a lot of heat in the cha cha chat room. And I think it’s really unfair, actually."
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