Strictly fans horrified as Zoe Ball called ‘FAT’ by professional dancer

Ian Waite's jibe didn't go down well with the audience

strictly come dancing zoe ball it takes two

by Eden-Olivia Lord |
Updated on

Strictly Come Dancing: It Take Two viewers were shocked when professional dancer Ian Waite hinted Zoe Ball was fat.

The comment came after the TV presenter welcomed Ian onto the spin-off show and joked that he looked "a bit like Johnny in Dirty Dancing".

Check out: Strictly Come Dancing's professional salaries revealed

Gallery

Strictly Professional salaries - SLIDER

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CREDIT: Getty

Gorka Marquez, £105,000

The lowest salary in the line up but certainly not one to be sniffed at, on top of Gorka's £50k Strictly salary last year he brought home an extra £35k for the Strictly Professionals live tour and £20k for the one off show, Here Come the Boys, with fellow dancer Aljaz Skorjanec.

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Anton Du Beke, £172,000

Proving that with age doesn't alway come wealth (although he's hardly broke) Anton Du Beke takes home a cool £172k after his £50k Strictly salary, thanks to his own professional tour (£65k) and regular weekend work at Alton Towers (£12k).

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Aljaz Skorjanec and Janette Manrara, £290,000 combined

Married couple Aljaz Skorjanec and Janette Manrara have an estimated household income of nearly £300k, thanks to their combined salaries from Strictly and the live tour. They've also raked in some extra cash from various P&O Ferry cruises.

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Motsi Mabuse, £325,000

New recruit Motsi, sister of Oti, was offered a starting salary of £200,00 when she joined the Strictly Come Dancing judging panel for this season. The German dance school she runs with husband Evgenij Voznyuk and her contract with German Weight Watchers brings home some extra bacon.

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Neil and Katya Jones, £334,000 combined

They may no longer be married, but in previous years Neil and Katya Jones have raked in a combined amount of over £340k. On top of their £100k joint salary, ticket sales from their stage show Somnium, as well as P&O Cruise and Alton Towers contracts, raked in plenty more cash for the former lovers.

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Kevin Clifton, £350,000

Reigning champ Kevin Clifton, who's currently dating his dance partner from last year Stacey Dooley, is thought to have pocketed up to £10k A WEEK last year appearing as the star name in dance shows Rock of Ages and Burn the Floor. He's also been working on new business ventures like starting his podcast and recording an album, which are sure to make him some extra £££'s.

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AJ Pritchard, £360,000

AJ is something of the Darling of Strictly Come Dancing, and his hefty paypacket is testament to that. On top of his Strictly salary, he's also starred on plenty of reality shows like Celebrity Hunted and Celebrity Masterchef. His work on the Strictly live shows makes him an extra £70k, as well as his work on Panto where he's thought to earn £100k.

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Oti Mabuse, £410,000

Returning for her fourth year this year, Oti is thought to earn just over £400k with her Strictly salary and The Professionals tour money. She also works as a judge on The Greatest Dancer with Cheryl and Matthew Morrison, not forgetting her various reality TV work.

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Shirley Ballas, £500,000

Head judge Shirley Ballas began on a meagre £180k – but negotiated a pay rise, bringing her Strictly salary up to a whopping quarter of a million quid per series. She's also earning a pretty penny from appearing on Panto each year, and teaching at a dance school in Streatham, South London.

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CREDIT: Getty

Tess Daly, £570,000

Tess is thought to earn £150k for her presenting role on Strictly Come Dancing, but a number of other work commitments hike her yearly income up to well over half a million quid. She also presents Children in Need each year and was a brand ambassador for global mega brands L'Oreal and Pandora.

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Craig Revel Horwood, £655,000

He might be the "lowest paid" judge on the panel, but residents Mr Nasty Craig certainly makes up for his "lacking" salary with his various other sources of income. For one, he is the main choreographer for the Strictly Live Tour, thought to earn him around £200k a year, as well as his work in Panto and renting out property.

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Claudia Winkleman, £829,000

Claudia is apparently the highest paid woman on the BBC's books so it's no wonder her yearly income is nearly £1m. On top of her £150k Strictly salary – the same as co-host Tess Daly's – she also earns a pretty penny for her Radio shows and various other BBC commitments. Other major sources of income are her big bucks beauty partnerships, including Head & Shoulders and No 7 at Boots.

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CREDIT: Getty

Bruno Tonioli, £1.85 Million

Top of the leaderboard (in the salary stakes) is Italian Stallion Bruno, who is the highest paid judge, with a Strictly salary of £250k. However, it's rumoured the quarter of a million paypacket isn't enough for Bruno, who earns SIX TIMES THAT judging on the American version, Dancing with the Stars.

strictly it takes two zoe ball ian waite
©BBC

She went on to add, "It's a strong look. He's going to lift me up in a minute. It's going to be amazing".

However Ian then responded, "I'm not that strong."

Despite the audience gasping in complete shock, Zoe laughed off his comment and said, "He's got a point, I am 12 stone. I'm OK with that."

strictly it takes two zoe ball ian waite
©BBC

The dancer then said, "I'm so sorry."

Zoe appeared to brush off the shady comment and said, "We have tried".

If you cast your mind back to Strictly Come Dancing series 3, in 2005, Zoe and Ian were dance partners and they came third.

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Ian's comment comes shortly after reports that there's tension between Zoe and her co-host Rylan Clark-Neal.

He shut down any speculation on Sunday Brunch, "There's a story this morning saying that me and Zoe have had a massive bust-up on Friday in rehearsals…

"I was late, I missed rehearsals! I was flying back from my DJ gig. So, I was like, 'It's news to me!'"

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