BBC Strictly's Craig Revel Horwood slammed by pro dancer with brutal five-word dig

Strictly Come Dancing's Craig is a fan favourite on the show (Image: PA)

Strictly Come Dancing's Craig Revel Horwood has been slammed by former pro James Jordan for going "too woke" during the 2024 series of the BBC dancing competition.

Craig faced backlash for his comments towards blind contestant Chris McCausland and Paul Merson, and even clashed with Shirley Ballas and Motsi Mabuse over his stern words.

But as Craig has seemed to tone down his barbed words, James has hit out at the judges for "over-marking" the remaining contestants.

He told Buzz Bingo: "I do think they've been overmarking a lot. They've been throwing tens out for dances, which I've gone ‘Really? I would have given it an 8’. Last week, for example, Tasha went in the bottom two."

James added: "People sometimes forget Craig isn't from our dance world. I love Craig as a judge, I'm not taking anything away from him as a judge. He used to be my favourite, apart from he's gone all woke now. He used to say it as it is, if he saw something that wasn't good, he was quite happy to say what he thought. But now he sugarcoats everything he'll say a negative and then say, but I thought you were fantastic.”

James Jordan branded Strictly's Craig "woke" (Image: Guy Levy/BBC/PA)

“For me, that kind of kills his character because he was like the Panto villain. It would be like going to Panto and the Wicked Sisters apologising after they're mean to the children, you miss the whole point. Everyone wants to hate a baddie and I think he played that so well. It's become a bit dull now."

Meanwhile, Craig has revealed his plans to indulge in "some much-needed time off" in 2025, citing a relentless work schedule. "I've been working back-to-back constantly," he told Best magazine, adding "and I've got my 60th next year."

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He expressed his desire for rest: "I feel, now more than ever, I need to take a couple of months to myself."

But just days following Craig's celebration, rehearsals for the Strictly Live tour kick off: "We start rehearsals for that on January 6," he disclosed, acknowledging the farewell element of the tour, "and then that really will be the end of everyone's Strictly journey. It gets very emotional towards the end! ".

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Craig noted the odd sensation once the series concludes, "It's always strange when Strictly reaches the end of a series."

He added, "It feels like our bubble has burst," emphasizing the tight-knit nature of the show's cast and crew. According to Craig, as each series wraps up, all involved – from contestants and dancers to judges themselves – experience intense exhaustion, while some continue their dance floor saga with a rigorous two-week rehearsal spell for the Christmas Special, reports Lans Live.

The tour is set to begin in Eastleigh, Hampshire, in April, covering an impressive array of locations from Aberdeen to Eastbourne, and wrapping up in Dunfermline in June, allowing him a summer break before diving back into the whirlwind of Strictly Come Dancing.