Nancy Xu defends Shayne Ward against 'cocky' claims after Strictly Come Dancing debut
Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Nancy Xu has broken her silence to support her celebrity partner Shayne Ward after he was branded 'cocky' by viewers.
Professional dancer Nancy Xu has come to the defence of her celebrity partner Shayne Ward following a wave of criticism from Strictly Come Dancing fans. The duo, Shayne, 39, and Nancy, 33, made their first appearance together on the BBC show on Saturday night, performing a samba to Stevie Wonder's Do I Do.
Their debut performance earned them a score of 21 from the judges. However, it wasn't all smooth sailing as some viewers suggested that X Factor winner Shayne appeared "cocky".
In response, Nancy has shown her support for her dance partner ahead of their next performance this weekend.
In a post on her Instagram Story, alongside footage of their rehearsal last week, Nancy wrote: "Samba definitely is one of the hardest dances to begin with. You can tell by my face how much I was surprised and happy and proud of [Shayne]. NOBODY is confident stepping on the Strictly dancefloor, especially [being watched and judged] by millions and four legends."
Nancy, who joined the Strictly team in 2019, hinted that they will "keep going" and "learn things step by step". She added earlier this week: "Last but not least, hope you all will enjoy and love this journey just like us", reports the Mirror.
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According to The Sun, she also teased their next routine on the platform, which will be a tango. Alongside a clip of them dancing, the caption, believed to have been penned by Nancy, read: "I cannot wait for this. Smash it."
Nancy has been posting in support of Shayne following the criticism he faced after their initial dance performance. Fans had been quite vocal, with one commenting: "If Shayne Ward was made of chocolate he'd lick himself."
Another remarked: "Find someone that loves you as much as Shayne Ward loves himself."
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A third chimed in: "Shayne appears to think he's much better than he is."
Others joined in with their opinions, with a comment stating: "The overconfidence is actually something I'm not enjoying about Shayne right now."
One viewer expressed on Twitter: "Bit too full of himself."
Yet another added: "Shayne's not learned that no-one takes to the hyper-confident competitive ones, has he? ".
However, Shayne responded to the backlash, reassuring his fans that he isn't "cocky". Addressing the comments, he posted a reflective black and white photo on Instagram, sharing his feelings with his followers.
His caption read: "Strictly is amazing and I love being part of it. But through my smile on TV I'm as nervous as the next person. Not cocky or overconfident... I'm nervous! I just gotta work hard and listen to my wonderful teacher [Nancy]. All I can do is my best! ".
