Delta Goodrem has shown real Australian grit after suffering a rib fracture while competing in Strictly Come Dancing — the British version of Dancing with the Stars.
She landed at the top of the leaderboard in two consecutive weeks, but her momentum was quickly stunted when she announced that an injury would force her to step away from the competition to recover.
The news shocked fans and made some even question if she had been “cursed” by factors outside her control.
However, after her buy week, she returned to the show at the weekend and stunned the judges with her Rumba with dance partner Kai Widdrington.
She ended up second on the leaderboard, and had many fans sighing with relief that she’s back, baby! However, there’s one reason why many viewers are questioning how “deserving” she is of the high praise.
Why has Delta Goodrem come under fire with the British public?
On Saturday night in London, Delta and Kai scored 34 out of a possible 40. The four judges scored her 7, 9, 8, and 10, respectively, and it was a big deal because it was the first 10 given to a contestant this season.
The crowd erupted in cheers while Delta and Kai threw their arms around each other in disbelief.
Ultimately, this means that Anton De Beke (a former professional dancer on the show turned judge) believed their performance was perfect and needed no improvement, but fans weren’t buying it.
“That was very over marked,” one viewer of the show wrote on social media, while another called it “ridiculous”.
Another accused Delta of being the ‘judge’s favourite’ and said there was bias towards her because of the injury. A debate was sparked across comment sections between people who believed she was ‘deserving’ and others who thought she was not.
Many stepped in to defend her, saying it made sense she got the top mark.
“It was so good to see Delta dancing again this week and I thought she did an incredible job coming back, still recovering from an injury!”
Delta was brought to tears while fighting injury
Just hours before performing on the show on Saturday, the 41-year-old shared footage of her over the last few weeks trying to recover.
She spent days on the couch and admitted she felt nauseous from the pain of her rib fracture.
“I filmed little moments over the past two weeks to remind myself that even on the frustrating days, there would be progress.
“I was gutted when the injury happened as I’ve been truly loving this experience so much. It’s hard to be patient when you want to be full force again but I’ve been listening, taking things carefully and learning to appreciate the small steps!” she wrote on Instagram.
Ultimately she did get back, and, like it or not, she was officially awarded the first 10 of the series.
She’ll be competing again next week.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
