Strictly Come Dancing judge, Craig Revel Horwood has come out in defence of professional dancer Anton Du Beke.

Du Beke has been attacked in the media over allegedly racist comments made to Laila Rouass during dance rehearsals.

Craig, told New magazine: “I’ve known Anton for years and years and years, and he’s not a racist. I’ve never heard him say anything like that before and it’s so unlike him.

“He’s such a nice bloke and I think this is a case of something being taken out of context and snowballing into a massive thing.”

He added: “Anton has apologised and Laila accepted it, so I think we all just need to move on. They need to just get on with the dancing.”

“I think that because they’ve had so many talks, it’s going to make their relationship stronger and make them more fiery in their dance.

“I think they will work together and pull together and be serious contenders for the winning prize.”

Craig Revel Horwood has admitted that he was once slapped by a Strictly Come Dancing viewer.

The judge told the Daily Express that the incident occured in Newbury, Berkshire.

He said: “A woman came up to me in the street, said, ‘You’re awful on that show!’ and slapped me right across the face.”

Horwood added that it wasn’t the first occasion of abuse.

“You’re followed in the street, people scream at you,” he said. “I’ve even been rammed by a shopping trolley in Sainsbury’s. It’s really quite odd. People think they know me as I am on their televisions every Saturday.

“It was quite shocking to begin with but after six series I’m used to it now.”

Strictly Come Dancing judge, Craig Revel Horwood has revealed that he has made a lot of enemies by acting like Mr Nasty on the show.

Whilst being interviewed on Five’s The Wright Stuff yesterday, Craig said: “I’ve had people poo on my doorstep. They throw eggs.

“I get very angry about this because you can’t prove anything.

“I do feel for people who are being harassed.

“My suggestion to anyone who is living with this kind of problem is to film them doing something.

“It’s the only way you can really get at them.”

Craig Revel Horwood has threatened to slap Alesha Dixon and Bruno Tonioli, if they keep talking over him during tonight’s Strictly Come Dancing.

“I would like to slap them both,” the acid tongued judge told The Mirror. “That’s my intention come this weekend. If they start rabbiting on I’m going to put a stop to that.

“They both try and out-talk me despite the fact I am only given ten seconds to speak. I think it’s rude to talk over other people and I can’t understand why they do.

“Are their comments better than mine? They are like little children.”

Horwood also admitted that he was quite worried when he found out he would be sitting beside Len Goodman this year.

“I was quite concerned when the producers said to me that I was going to be sitting next to Len,” he said. “I thought, ‘Oh no, now he can actually hit me’. I think it will be okay. I am trying not to argue with him this year.

“I don’t think we will ever see eye to eye but he has every right to say what he says. And I have every right too.”

Craig Revel Horwood has asked Strictly Come Dancing viewers to give new girl, Alesha Dixon, a chance and added that he is angry about the public backlash against her.

“This backlash is horrendous and I don’t think she deserves it,” he told the BBC. “She deserves to be given a chance and it makes me very angry that she’s not.

“If you go back and look at the first weeks of any of us, Arlene, Len, Bruno and I, on any of our early recordings none of us were perfect right away. Alesha has got to be given a chance. She’s up there to form a critique and that’s what she is doing.”

Craig also thinks the public may donate their sympathy votes to Phil Tufnell and Jo Wood on this years series.

“I think we might find the John Sergeant next week, when we’ve got Phil Tufnell taking to the floor. We might even find a female version in Jo Wood after seeing her in the group dance.”

Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood is to appear in a pantomime this Christmas.

The bitchy showbiz expert will naturally play an evil queen, in a production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

He told The Mirror:”I’m really excited to appear in my very first pantomime in the lovely town of Llandudno. The show will be fabulous. My Wicked Queen costumes are worth the price of a ticket alone.”

In a bid to make Strictly Come Dancing all X Factor like, Craig Revel Horwood has claimed that his new colleague Alesha Dixon cannot possibly compare to the outgoing Arlene Phillips.

Speaking to New, The Simon Cowell wannabe insisted: “A celebrity contestant can never match someone who has been dancing their entire lives, who has been competitive and in professional competitions.

“It’s going to be different because Arlene and I argued and had a lot of banter. I don’t know if Alesha and I will do that. I don’t have a clue what will come out of her mouth actually. The proof will be in the pudding.”

I really hope Alesha turns out to be truly fabulous as a SCD judge, just to prove Craig wrong. There is something about this man that rubs me up completely the wrong way.

Craig Revel Horwood, Strictly Come Dancing’s answer to Simon Cowell, has said that he is unsurprised by the BBC’s decision to sack Arlene Phillips.

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, Horwood explained: “I do feel sorry for Arlene. If you’re invited back, that’s great. If not, well that’s the way the cookie crumbles. TV is cutthroat.”

Discussing the star’s replacement, he added: “Alesha knows what’s what. But this is about experience vs. a novice. I don’t see why they can’t bring Arlene back.”

Craig Revel Horwood has turned his caustic tongue on Britain’s Got Talent finalist Susan Boyle.

The Strictly Come Dancing judge said that the singer ’sucks’ at the opening night of Latin Fever in London, according to the Evening Standard.

Horwood said: “I think Susan Boyle sucks and I’ll tell you why – she can’t sing and that really bugs me. [She] sings as bad as she looks.

“I saw her singing ‘Memory’ and she absolutely mauled it. If Elaine Paige or Andrew Lloyd Webber had seen that performance, if they were dead, they’d be spinning in their graves.”

He added: “It was awful. It had major pitch problems throughout. I could go on and on. And that panel of judges just sits there and says how wonderful she was. I was beside myself. I was wanting to smash the TV.

“I’m hoping people with talent will win, not just the freaks of nature who come out with a little bit of a warble and everyone goes, ‘Wow!’”

BBC bosses have rubbished claims by the Daily Mail that they are planning to sack two Strictly Come Dancing judges after the departure of John Sergeant.

“The BBC’s head honchos were furious that John Sergeant fell on his sword. He was the most enormous ratings winner and executives think the judges overstepped the mark,” a corporation source was quoted as telling the newspaper.

“Arlene and Craig have the axe hanging over them depending on how ratings do in the rest of the show over the next month.”

A BBC spokesperson said: “The story about the Strictly Come Dancing judges in today’s Daily Mail is a load of rubbish. The judges’ role in the show is to critique the contestants’ dancing and that is exactly what they have done in this series and every series before it.”