Shirley Ballas had fellow Strictly Come Dancing judges in hysterics when she praised Kelvin Fletcher’s “woodpecker”.
Ex-Emmerdale star Fletcher, 35, has wowed viewers and judges with his “sensual hip action” and for “oozing masculinity” on the BBC One competition.
The semi-final saw Fletcher and his dance partner Oti Mabuse compete against Emma Barton and Anton Du Beke, Karim Zeroual and Amy Dowden and comedian Chris Ramsey and Karen Hauer.
"Your woodpecker" 🤣 pic.twitter.com/6GXeIZWpLS
— BBC Strictly ✨ (@bbcstrictly) December 7, 2019
The celebrities had to perform two dances each on the show, fronted by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.
Judges Ballas, Motsi Mabuse and Bruno Tonioli gave Fletcher and Oti Mabuse a standing ovation after they performed a quickstep.
But the head judge’s accidental innuendo had her fellow judges in hysterics.
Shirley: And then your woodpecker!Kelvin: And then my what now? o_O#strictly
— Suzie (@suzie_shooter) December 7, 2019
“And then, your woodpecker, that was amazing,” Ballas told the actor.
To a puzzled Fletcher, she explained it was a dance move, adding “everything you did, your footwork!”
The pair scored a 10 from each of the judges.
And Craig Revel Horwood admitted: “It really upset me actually because I couldn’t find much wrong with it.”
The shaping. The passion. The outfits. @kelvin_fletcher and @OtiMabuse just delivered one fierce Paso WOAH-ble! #Strictly pic.twitter.com/hDvxlXZW7C
— BBC Strictly ✨ (@bbcstrictly) December 7, 2019
Tonioli said: “That was truly a sparkling delight. You hit the musical accent with such a musicality and such perfection I have goosebumps.”
So delicate, you can almost hear a pin drop. Stunning Semi-Final steps from @EmmaBarton and @TheAntonDuBeke. #Strictly pic.twitter.com/qEs7J2l9gv
— BBC Strictly ✨ (@bbcstrictly) December 7, 2019
EastEnders actress Barton is the only woman in the semi-final.
Du Beke praised Barton for her improvement, having started the competition with no confidence in her ability.
“This is somebody who had no confidence in her dancing ability, to produce a dance like that, (which) I’ve been wanting to do for about 15 years on Strictly Come Dancing”, he said.