BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Shayne Ward looks downbeat as he hits back after one-word live show criticism

Shayne Ward appeared downbeat as he hit back at criticism following his first performance on Strictly Come Dancing 2024. The actor and singer is among the 15 celebrities to have signed up to the BBC One dance contest this year.

Following the pre-recorded launch show earlier this month, in which Shayne was seen being paired with professional dancer Nancy Xu, the couple took to the ballroom floor live for the first time on Saturday night (September 21) during week one of the competition.

On the night, Shayne and Nancy were seen performing a Samba to Do I Do by Stevie Wonder wearing matching black sparkly outfits, hinting and the disco flavour they were bringing to the dance floor.

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But many Strictly viewers were distracted at the time as they couldn't help but compare Shayne's new look to that of singer-songwriter Leo Sayer.

However, the former Coronation Street star has since hit back at those offering a different kind of comment about his performance after some flocked to social media to brand him 'cocky'.

As he trains for week two of the competition, in which he and Nancy will perform a Tango to The Door by Teddy Swims, Shayne took to his Instagram to assure fans he was anything but over-confident. Sharing a solemn black and white photo of himself with his head in his hands, he wrote on his Story: "Strictly is amazing and I love being part of it. But through my smile on TV I'm as nervous as the next person."

He went on: "Not cocky or overconfident... I'm nervous!' I just gotta work hard and listen to my wonderful teacher @nancy_xuxi. All I can do is my best!"

It comes after he admitted he was 'proud' of his performance