Strictly Come Dancing winner shares judging secret ahead of live show

Cricket legend Darren Gough, who famously clinched the Glitterball trophy in the third series of back in 2005, has divulged some backstage insights as fans gear up for the BBC show's 20th anniversary Halloween special this weekend.

Gough believes the judges may have made up their minds about performances before the live shows as they form their opinions during final rehearsals. "I believe that's where the judges get a lot of their info from [final rehearsals] because they have to prepare as well. They have to have some idea of what they're going to do," he revealed in a chat with .

With comedian Chris McCausland currently tipped to take home the 2024 series crown, Gough has hinted at a potential upset, speculating that if McCausland ends up in the dreaded dance off which he has so far evaded he might be sent packing. Instead, Gough is backing EastEnders' Jamie Borthwick for the win, with Love Island alum Tasha Ghouri also in close contention.

"If he gets in there (dance off), I think he goes," Gough remarked regarding McCausland, who received praise from judge Craig Revel Horwood earlier this month: "You can dance."

The former Strictly champion, who would like to sports stars like Kevin Pieterson, Gareth Bale, and Andy Murray strut their stuff on the dance floor, also commented on the complexity of the judging process, noting it's "very difficult now" given the variety of dance styles performed each week, reports .

He said: "Back when I did it, we all did the same dance that week, so you could judge everyone. I find it very difficult now, how do you actually judge someone when you've got someone doing a Waltz, someone doing a Quickstep and someone doing a Jive? Naturally, some of the dancers are full of energy and some aren't, and the public is like, 'This is a boring dance'.

"They've just seen a Quickstep and then they watch a Rumba... you're going to struggle to get points."

He added: "I was never in the bottom two because the public mainly voted, but now, if you're a good dancer, you're literally guaranteed to get to that last four because the judges always have that final say, right?"

"I think JB, as long as he's not in the bottom two with one of the other three or four who are better than him, he's going to keep getting through.

"So, that's the secret, stay out of the bottom two, but the public have got to enjoy you and at the minute, they've not really attracted themselves to JB or Shayne. I think Shayne is an absolutely fantastic dancer and he's another one who could improve; but again, the public is not really buying into it yet, but that can change quickly."

Strictly Come Dancing is on BBC One and BBC iPlayer