Judi Love’s warning to Strictly Come Dancing viewers as she defends Adam Peaty and Katya Jones over that ‘almost-kiss’

Viewers were surprised by what they thought they saw (Picture: BBC)

Judi Love has defended Adam Peaty after social media exploded with rumours that he had almost kissed dance partner Katya Jones after the pair’s performance on Strictly Come Dancing.

The Loose Women panel discussed all the Strictly drama on today’s show, with Judi first speaking about her own performance with dancer Graziano Di Prima, where the pair swirled around the dancefloor to a gorgeous rendition of Mariah Carey’s Hero.

But it didn’t take long for co-presenter Coleen Nolan to bring up the moment that had the whole country talking after Saturday night’s show: the so-called ‘almost kiss’ between Adam and Katya.

The dancers had Strictly viewers hot under the collar as it seemed like they were going in for a kiss at the end of their Argentine tango to Fleetwood Mac’s Tango in the Night.

Judi immediately moved to calm the rumour mill down, saying ‘people need to understand’ what it’s like for the dancers in the moment.

‘When you’re a dancer you are a performer,’ she explained. ‘You’re an actress, you’re an actor, you are everything in that moment.

Judi Love and Graziano Di Prima danced to a song dedicated to Judi’s parents (Picture: BBC / Guy Levy)

‘And people don’t realise you have to hold a pose. They’re amazing dancers, amazing performers, and that’s what I saw: a performance, that was executed and held in that position for camera and for audience.’

‘It was a performance.’

The panel discussed the fact that the dancers have to hold the pose they finish with at the end, and that was likely what was causing all the fuss, but Coleen wasn’t entirely convinced.

‘All the dances look amazing and beautiful and sexy … and they’re all beautiful people,’ Coleen said.

‘But every single person that I was watching it with on Saturday went “oh!” when that moment happened.’

The panel discusses the ‘almost kiss’ that had everyone talking (Picture: ITV)

She insisted she wasn’t suggesting anything was going on between Adam and Katya, but said: ‘I understand why people are talking about it, because we all went “Oh! What went on there?”‘

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Judi however said again that it was purely entertainment, and ‘people need to realise that their comments do have an effect on people’.

Judi’s appeal echoes that of Adam himself, who yesterday took to social media where he said: ‘To everyone who wants to see what they want, your comments have real life consequences.

‘I will not be overcome or lowered by your gossip. Protect your energy.’

The Loose Women stars even watched a video uploaded by Adam’s girlfriend Eiri Munro, who shared her reaction to the moment, pretending to cry and adding the caption: ‘Watching your boyfriend almost kiss another woman on live tv.’

She then tipped her head back and fake screamed as the words ‘Finding out 10 million people also watched it live’ popped up on the screen.

Loose Women airs at 12.30pm on weekdays on ITV.

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