Frankie Bridge is tipping Jay McGuiness to win ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ and admits she has been "shocked" by how good he is on the dancefloor.
The Saturdays star finished as joint runner-up when she competed on the BBC One ballroom show in 2014 and she has been amazed by Jay’s near-perfect performances with his partner Aliona Vilani so early on in the series.
Speaking at the Attitude Awards in London on Wednesday night (14.10.15), she told BANG Showbiz: "Oh I think Jay is going to win. I never thought Jay was going to be awful or anything but I am shocked by how good he is, he’s been a really big surprise to me."
Frankie has also dismissed criticism of Jay for having prior dance training at the Charlotte Hamilton School of Dance and at the Midlands Academy of Dance and Drama and experience of performing in The Wanted.
The 26-year-old pop beauty says the ballroom style is very different to other types of dancing and so the detractors should just be quiet.
Discussing Jay’s haters, she said: "Don’t they do that every year?! I think they always try and pick on people at some point whether they’ve done dancing or not.
"With people like Jay, or me, because we’ve been in bands, people go, ‘Oh you’ve done this before.’ I hadn’t had any ballet training or ballroom training, getting up and dancing around on stage is a bit different to ‘Strictly’. But that criticism comes out every year."
Although Frankie – who was recently confirmed for the 2016 ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ tour – thinks Jay is the favourite for the ‘Strictly’ crown, she believes ‘EastEnders’ actress Kellie Bright could be a dark horse for the glitterball trophy.
She shared: "Kellie’s really good. You always wonder what the actresses will be like. I think with all the actors and actresses they’re so good at selling it and setting the right mood, which is something I found hard. She’s amazing and she looks as though she’s having so much fun in her performances which is nice to see."
Frankie – who gave birth to her second son Carter two months ago – showed off her incredible post-baby body at the Attitude Awards and a new shoulder-length bob haircut.
The singer – who also has 23-month-old son Parker with her husband Wayne Bridge – was joined at the glitzy event by a host of stars including Dame Vivienne Westwood, Boy George, Adam Lambert, Antony Cotton and Lorraine Kelly.
Frankie Bridge tipping Jay McGuiness to win Strictly
