Reality TV

DWTS’ Craig Revel Horwood reveals his predictions ahead of tonight’s finale

The judge is backing Courtney Act for the win – but says anybody could take the Dancing With The Stars crown
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Dancing With The Stars ‘villain’ Craig Revel Horwood has revealed his favourite to take home the mirrorball trophy in tonight’s finale.

While the judge says it’s impossible to predict the public vote, his confidence lies in drag queen Courtney Act.

“Out of the three, she’s the most qualified dancer,” Craig, 54, tells TV WEEK. “But it boils down to the public vote. There’s going to be blood on the dance floor, as they say!”

“She’s the most qualified dancer,” Craig says of Courtney Act (Image: Network 10).

It’s certainly been a season full of surprises.

The Living Room star and audience favourite, Miguel Maestre, was voted off first in the competition, while Olympia Valance’s exit shocked viewers just a few weeks later. Then children’s entertainer Jimmy Rees was forced to leave the competition due to the ill health of his newborn son.

Craig thinks Jimmy “had what it takes to win”. “He’s a family favourite and kids love him,” he says.

As for what’s next, Craig reveals there’s been talks for another season of the hit 10 show.

“I’ll definitely come back as I love it here, it’s absolutely fantastic,” he says.

Craig says he’ll definitely come back to DWTS (Image: Network 10).

Away from DWTS, Craig is looking forward to filming for another season of Strictly Come Dancing back in the UK later this year.

But he’s just as clueless as anyone as to who will replace recently departed Darcey Bussell on the judging panel.

“It was a huge shock for me, if I’m honest,” he says. “I love her and we’ve got on so well over the last seven years. But people like to move on and she wants to do other things. I encourage that, and change is good.”

Nicole Scherzinger is at the top of Craig’s wish-list.

“She’d be fabulous,” he reveals. “And Anton du Beke definitely wants to do it. I’d love to see Nicole, or Carlos [Acosta]. But nobody has actually expressed anything to me. And I’m generally the last to find out!”

Does Craig get to have any say on who he’d like to judge alongside him?!

“No, of course not!” laughs the star. “But it doesn’t matter if I don’t get on with them. The difference of opinion is rather good, generally. For me it’s of no concern, I just hope they choose the right person and they know what they’re talking about.”

After DWTS, Craig will be heading back to Strictly Come Dancing (Image: Network 10).

As for the reported romance between last year’s winner Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton, Craig says “good luck” to them.

“I was surprised by that! Obviously they left it until later on. I hope they live happily ever after,” he says.

“It will be another Strictly success story. I never call it the ‘Strictly curse’. I call if the Strictly blessing. People need to fall in love.”

Craig – who has also watched the rumoured romance between Jett Kenny and his professional dancer partner Lily Cornish evolve on DWTS – says he can understand why relationships can form on his shows.

“You’re dancing up close and personal and spending all of your time with that one person,” he says.

“Of course people fall in love. But my point is, if your relationship in ‘real life’ is suffering anyway, it’s going to happen anyway whether it happens on Strictly, DWTS or in real life.

“There’s got to be something wrong with the relationship for something to go wrong in the first place.

“If you have a strong loving relationship in the first place, that stuff just doesn’t happen.”

Jett Kenny and his dancer partner Lily Cornish were the subject of romance rumours (Image: Network 10).

Dancing With The Stars finale airs Monday, 7:30pm, on Network 10.

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