Strictly’s Motsi Mabuse hits back at tension rumours with new host Josh Widdicombe as she makes cheeky remark – as fans warm to Johannes Radebe

DAILYMAIL.COM • 2h ago

By NIOMI HARRIS, SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER 19:13 10 Oct 2026, updated 21:40 10 Oct 2026

Strictly Come Dancing’s Motsi Mabuse seemingly hit back at rumours of tensions between herself and Josh Widdicombe on Saturday as she made a cheeky remark.

During Week two viewers started to notice a simmering ‘tension’ between Motsi and Josh, as they suggested the judge had ‘had enough of the comedian interrupting her with his jokes’.

However, as week three kicked off, Motsi attempted to dispel the speculation as she insisted that Josh was her ‘friend’.

Following Cach Mercer’s routine, Josh quipped that he and Emma Willis were ‘dancers’ and as he directed his joke towards Motsi, she responded by remarking: ‘Yes Josh, my FRIEND!’

Her not-so-subtle comment saw Josh roar with laughter as the rest of the audience giggled along, causing fans to pick up on the moment on X.

While one fan stated: ‘Yes Josh, my FRIEND’ lmao!! Motsi saw the discourse online last week about her not getting along with Josh’, another wasn’t convinced that the two were indeed pals as they noted: ‘Motsi can’t stand Josh.’

It comes after the launch show saw Josh on the receiving end of a very sassy comment from Motsi as she was trying to give her expert feedback to the couples.

After Craig Revel Horwood gave his rather cutting feedback, Motsi turned to him to say that she actually agreed with what he was saying for once, which led to Craig quipping: ‘Great – we can move on to Shirley [Ballas] then!’

Motsi burst out laughing before then replying: ‘Well I have to do my job too!’

Josh then jokingly shouted: ‘Shirley!’ as if to skip over Motsi’s feedback like Craig had suggested.

Motsi then cheekily remarked to Josh: ‘Well are we going to be friends or enemies, you choose now!’ as the audience and Josh laughed it off.

The comment sparked speculation of tensions between the pair, with Motsi recently defending the hosts and the ongoing critique of the show, insisting ‘it already feels like we’re finding our rhythm.

Meanwhile, the latest instalment of Strictly saw fans note that Johannes Radebe is really ‘settling’ into his role as they finally begin to warm to the hosting trio.

The former show professional dancer, as well as his co-hosts Emma Willis and Josh have come under fire since the first live show’s presenting format was panned by fans – with Josh branded a ‘spare part.’

While viewers noted that the South African dancer, 39, began talking when the couples were making their way up the stairs to the ‘Clauditorium’ amid the audience applause, meaning fans were unable to hear what was being said.

And while last week saw many complain that the format was not switched up, week three finally saw fans begin to thaw to the trio, particularly Johannes.

Taking to X, fans shared their thoughts, they penned: ‘Johannes is getting better every week.’

‘Emma Willis is fab..so natural with the contestants..loving her on #strictly johannes and Josh definitely more settled as well’

‘Jojo is settling in better and better each week. More at ease and relaxed.’

‘Emma looking stunning this evening. All the presenters relaxing into it especially Jojo.’

‘Johannes up in the Clauditorium (Jojotorium?) is inspired thinking. His personality and liveliness puts people at ease but he also has the dance knowledge to be able to talk about choreography and technicalities. I also just love Jojo.’

Week three’s show saw EastEnders actress Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola kick off the proceedings with their Samba to Bamboléo by Gipsy Kings.

While Anton hailed it an ‘absolutely marvellous’ Samba, he added she needed to work on her ‘feet and stability’, with Craig stating the soap star ‘needed more energy’ on her upper body.

Lacey and Vito’s scoring got off to a solid start, with a respectable 26 points.

Will Best and Dianne Buswell did the Waltz to With You I’m Born Again by Billy Preston and Syreeta.

Giving his usual cutting remark, Craig said it was ‘a little bit square and needed more drive’, while Shirley praised Will’s ‘really nice footwork’, though she warned he needed to work on his ‘pivoting’.

Will and Dianne bagged a decent 25 points, their highest mark so far.

Taking to the floor next, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr danced the Quickstep to I’m a Believer by The Monkees.

However, while the former footballer gave it his all on the dancefloor, he was panned by the judges who were sadly not impressed with his efforts.

Shirley said of their routine: ‘not connected in hold, too many shuffles and not enough quickstep,’ while Craig said the posture wasn’t great and that there was ‘heavy gapping’.

And while last week’s score was a ten-point improvement from week one, this week Shaun scored a disappointing 15 points – landing him at the bottom of the leaderboard.

Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby then danced their Couple’s Choice to Beware.. The South London Lover Boy. by RAYE.

The energetic routine was a visual feast, however, the judges were divided in their feedback, with Craig saying it was ‘too stop-and-start’ and Motsi noting it ‘needs more polish’, while Anton ‘liked it a lot’.

Despite the mixed comments, Cach and Maddie bagged their highest score yet with an impressive 31 points.

After landing in the dance off last week, Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu attempted to impress as they danced the Viennese Waltz to Never Tear Us Apart by INXS.

The pair received some mixed feedback, with Shirley noting there was a ‘hiccup or two but an improvement,’ Anton declared it was ‘your best yet’ as he quipped: ‘more of this please.’

But while their feedback was divided, the judges stood united on their scores as they all gave 7s, giving the pair a total of 28 points.

Melanie Walters and Aljaž Škorjanec did a cheeky Charleston to Ooh Ahh…Just A Little Bit by Gina G.

Craig launched into a scathing rant as he said of that the dance had ‘no swivel and ambiguous arm placement’, which was ‘not your thing’. Shirley and Motsi however were a little more encouraging as they told her to ‘keep going’ and ‘challenge yourself more’.

The Gavin and Stacey star scored a lowly 17 points, and while not brilliant, it was still her highest score yet.

Dame Sarah Storey and Julian Caillon performed the Paso Doble to California Dreamin’ by Sia.

While the pair gave it their all, the judges didn’t warm to the routine as they may have liked, with calling it ‘stiff’ and lacking in ‘power and confidence’, while Anton urged them to ‘please stop counting’.

The judges feedback was reflected in their lowly scores, with Dame Sarah and Julian scoring 20 points this week.

After topping the leaderboard last week, all eyes were on Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington as they took to the floor with their Salsa to Always There / Ain’t Nobody by Jocelyn Brown / Chaka Khan.

Loving what she saw, Motsi gushed: ‘brought the D.I.S.C.O, absolutely loved it, your highlight!’ with an excited Craig noting: ‘a-may-zing!’

And the judges were as generous with their scores as they were with their feedback, awarding the Australian singer and her partner 33 points – the highest score of the series so far.

Up next was Emmerdale actor Lawrence Robb and Jowita Przystał, who did the Rumba to Back To Friends by Sombr.

And the sultry performance left Craig and Shirley at loggerheads. While the head judge moaned it was ‘not my cup of tea, flat-footed, and too much standing around’, Craig branded her a ‘fun sponged’ as he praised ‘talented’ Lawrence’s ‘great storytelling’.

Shirley’s paltry four points combined with the rest of the judges rather low scores gave the pair a total of 20 points.

Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin then did the Tango to Show Me Love by Robin S.

After giving Disney Princess last week with her Beauty and the Beast dance, this week Motsi noted she ‘saw a different side of you amid the dark and moody performance, with Shirley enjoying her pivots and good frame.

And Dani’s efforts on the dancefloor paid off, with her and Nikita scoring a commendable 27 points for week three.

Following their amazing Godfather waltz last week, Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley did the Jive to Reet Petite by Jackie Wilson.

While Anton hailed him as an ‘accomplished dancer,’ Craig found himself getting rather ’emosh’ as he observed that Graeme reminded him of his late pal and co-star Len Goodman.

With the judges scoring 25 points, the dog whisperer also found himself getting emotional as he and Lauren were applauded by their fellow dancers.

Following this, John Nellis and Katya Jones danced the Cha Cha to Rock Your Body by Justin Timberlake.

Craig wasn’t really impressed, commenting that the dance was ‘too laidback’ and lacked the ‘wow factor’, while Anton summed up that it was ‘almost there but not quite’.

And despite topping the leaderboard in week one, the pair have seen their numbers take a significant hit, only managing to score 20 points this week.

Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu performed the American Smooth to Love Song by Sara Bareilles.

Anton ‘enjoyed it enormously’ but wanted a tad more ‘musicality and lyricism’, while Shirley praised the ‘extremely impressive’ routine that they should both be ‘proud’ of.

And the duo would certainly have been proud of their scores as they bagged themselves 27 points.

Bringing this week’s proceedings to an end, the final performance was Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita dancing the Argentine Tango to Hate That I Made You Love Me by Ariana Grande.

The pair certainly finished on a high as they commanded the dancefloor, with their performance leaving the audience on their feet.

The dance gave Mosti ‘goosebumps’ as she hailed them a ‘dark horse’, with an excited Shirley noting that she ‘really enjoyed the ‘unbelievable’ dance. Anton meanwhile borrowed Craig’s words as he commented: ‘Love, love, love!’

Their impressive performance earned them a very nice 31 points, bringing them joint second on the leaderboard – just two points shy of leaders Delta and Kai.

Week two of Strictly saw the celebrities take on the Movie Week theme, with Australian singer Delta Goodrem and her partner Kai Widdrington topping the leaderboard last week with their combined score of 59 points.

For Sunday’s results show, the group dance will see two teams of Strictly Professionals go head-to-head in the ultimate dance off: Ballroom Vs Latin.

It will be led by Anton Du Beke for Team Ballroom against Shirley Ballas a.k.a The Queen of Latin.

Craig Revel Horwood will be the referee accompanied by his assistant Neil Jones.

Strictly Come Dancing results will air on Sunday at 7:10pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Playing Stacey Slater on BBC’s EastEnders

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I’m so excited and terrified at the same time but I’ve had so many friends do Strictly and I thought it was about time that I plunked up the courage and made my way onto that dance floor.’

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Played Nina Tucker in Neighbours and has released eight music albums

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I’ve been incredibly honoured to perform on many different stages throughout my career – from tv, theatre, film sets, to touring my own shows around the world, there is however one stage I’ve never stepped onto and that is the ballroom floor!’

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Won Love Island 2025 and is a TikTok influencer

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I have grown up watching the show with my family and am so excited to now be part of the cast. Dancing is a huge passion of mine and I can’t wait to learn Ballroom and do the Foxtrot for the first time!’

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Britain’s most successful Paralympian

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘Embarking on a new challenge so soon after stepping down as an athlete is hugely exciting.’

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Plays Lady Baela Targaryen in House of the Dragon

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I have grown up watching Strictly, and I am so excited to take the challenge on and (hopefully!) learn a new skill.’

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Hosts Channel 5 series Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I have watched the show for years, so to be a part of it feels like a very exciting challenge, albeit more than a bit nerve-wracking!’

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Olympic champion skeleton racer

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I’ve had the wildest year of my life so far, so to be rounding it off with a childhood dream of dancing in the Strictly ballroom is surreal and I can’t wait to get stuck in!’

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Playing Gwen West in BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘Performing in Pantomime for the last 15 years, my Strictly ‘fix’ has always been watching in a dressing room rather than my front room.’

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Winning Love Island and being the daughter of actor Danny Dyer

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I am so excited to be back in the ballroom this September! I just cannot wait to get my dancing shoes back on and hopefully this time around I can actually make it to week one!’

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Hairdresser to the stars – including Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I’m thrilled to be joining Strictly and coming home to the UK for this incredible experience. I’ve always believed that the best things happen when you take a chance and try something new.’

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Hosts Big Brother and previously TV

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I’ve been lucky to do lots of live telly before, but absolutely nothing like this. And I cannot wait!’

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Starring in films such as Kidulthood and Tomb Raider

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I am no stranger to a dance floor, but the ballroom is a whole new world for me.’

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Footballer who played for the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘Strictly is definitely outside my comfort zone, but I’m super excited to get started and really looking forward to the challenge!’

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Plays Mackenzie Boyd on ITV’s Emmerdale

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I can’t quite believe that I am going to be getting my dancing shoes on this September on one of my favourite shows of all time!’

BEST KNOWN FOR?: Face of a popular football-focused YouTube channel

WHY STRICTLY?: ‘I can’t wait to meet everyone, learn a new skill and, hopefully, be much better at family parties by the end of it!’

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