Zoe Lucker still strictly come dancing for Huddersfield

Oct 26 2009 by Sam Casey, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

SHE might be performing in front of four eagle-eyed judges, a studio audience of hundreds and millions of people nationwide every week.

But Strictly Come Dancing star Zoe Lucker has told the Examiner that it’s what people in Huddersfield think that really matters.

The actress, who grew up in Lindley, is still in the competition in the seventh week of the show after she and professional dance partner James Jordan impressed with their performance of the American smooth on Saturday.

Jo Wood, the estranged wife of Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood, was voted off after a performance that judges branded a “dance disaster”.

Wood earned the show’s lowest ever score for her rendition of the samba with Brendan Cole.

Sharp tongued judge Bruno Tonioli told her: “You dragged poor Brendan into samba hell.”

They faced the dance-off alongside Olympic athlete Jade Johnson and Ian Waite who failed to get enough public support to save them from the crunch performance despite a much more respectable score of 32.

Meanwhile, Zoe sailed through after her confidence was knocked back last week when she had to go through a dance-off to survive on the show.

She said: “I genuinely hope that people like what we are doing.

“It matters to me that people from Huddersfield are out there watching.

“I’m a Huddersfield girl through and through and I hope I’m doing people proud.”

As reported last month, 35-year-old Zoe had always been a reluctant dancer in the past, dodging the dancefloor at parties and functions.

For that reason the good marks she got when the show started came as a shock.

But she said her confidence was starting to grow.

“I was definitely shocked initially, because I had no idea what was going to happen,” she said.

“In training we have all gone through this massive process, not knowing anything about the steps and the way you are supposed to feel and look.

“Then every week I feel like ‘wow, I’m still here.’ I’m still quite shocked, but my confidence has definitely improved. I’m picking up the steps a bit more quickly and starting to enjoy it.”