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Strictly Come Dancing > News
Strictly Come Dancing: Gabby Logan was just too good
30 October 2007 telegraph.co.uk
Gabby Logan may have all the right moves, but she put her over-eager foot in it during 'Strictly Come Dancing', says Noam Friedlander
In the shocking moment that Gabby Logan was told she was the latest competitor to be voted off Strictly Come Dancing she stood immobile, staring into the distance.
Strictly Come Dancing: Gabby Logan was just too good
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Fellow competitor Penny Lancaster Stewart tried to reach for her hand, but Logan's only response was: "I don't want to cry… I felt I had a lot more to give."
Professional to the last, she refused to shed a tear, even when her husband came out to comfort her.
Oh Gabby, if only you had. Did no one tell you that the rules of conduct on SCD are just as strict as the steps of the samba?
Did you not know that any appearance by a celebrity on a reality TV show is all about the "journey" of the underdog - and, more important, that nobody loves the top dog?
Logan's fate was probably sealed in the first week, when she danced the quickstep in a flowing red dress. Not because of her moves but because she had a face like thunder when she was rated fourth out of seven. "You look a bit crestfallen, Gabby," said host Tess Daly.
And indeed she did.
Logan made no secret of her intense desire to win - even at the expense of beating her husband, the former Scotland rugby international Kenny Logan (who is still in the competition, despite being told by the judges that he "had the grace of a vacuum cleaner").
In her quest for perfection, she had forgotten that British culture is all about the success of the amateur: show too much promise too soon - or take yourself too seriously - and we'll despise you.
What we love is someone winning a race after a faulty start. Watching them blossom gives us all hope. Remember Pop Idol?'s unlikely star Michelle McManus? Or rugby player Kyran Bracken, who turned it around to win Dancing On Ice? Flawed, but doing their best, they feel like one of us.
To stay in the competition, Logan should have played down her talents – and need only have looked at fellow contestants Alesha Dixon and Kelly Brook for inspiration. These two have played a blinder.
Both have undeniable talent, but always look suitably shocked by their high scores. Breathily, they squeeze out their gratitude and squeal like piglets when they get saved.
However, above all else, they exhibit a quality as feminine as their frothy frocks - vulnerability. Both look as if they might just cry if you don't vote for them.
But Logan's true nemesis on the show has been GMTV's perky little hoofer, Kate Garraway.
The truth is, the woman can't dance. She consistently gets the lowest scores and has little, if any, sense of rhythm, but is saved on a weekly basis. Poor Logan must be dumbfounded - just what is Garraway's trick?
It's simple. She's a seasoned pro at garnering sympathy from a voting public. In week one, Garraway damaged her ligaments: cue pictures in all the papers of her hobbling to practice sessions on crutches.
Then, after doing little more than limping about the stage, Garraway's post-dance mantras straight out of the SCD rulebook: "I just want to improve, please give me a chance", "I'm just a mother trying my best" and, finally, the gut-wrenching plea: "I just want my husband to finally find me sexy".
One could almost forget that outside SCD, Garraway is an extremely successful, glamorous blonde, with a big toothy TV smile and is married to former spin-doctor Derek Draper. Yet, by laughing at herself and soldiering on, she ensured that people voted for her.
She also had the advantage of a loyal fan base of women who watch her on GMTV. Logan is a sports presenter on the BBC, her public consists mainly of men who tune into live sport, but are unlikely to pick up a phone and vote for a ballroom dancing show.
But perhaps it is Logan's family history that provides the real explanation. She grew up watching her ex-footballer father, Terry Yorath, managing national football sides.
Logan herself represented Wales in rhythmic gymnastics in the Commonwealth Games in 1990 before battling her way through the male-dominated ranks to become one of the faces of BBC sport.
A competitive streak is second nature to Logan. And that's where she fell short: she's taken what she's learned in life too far. You have to fail before you can succeed - at least on reality shows.
-END-
Related:
Strictly Come Dancing Celebrities and their dance partners
- Stephanie Beacham, Dynasty star - paired with Vincent Simone
- Kelly Brook, actress - Brendan Cole
- Letitia Dean, EastEnders actress - Darren Bennett
- Alesha Dixon, Mis-Teeq singer - Matthew Cutler
- Kate Garraway, GMTV presenter - Anton Du Beke
- Penny Lancaster-Stewart, model - Ian Waite
- Gabby Logan, sports presenter - James Jordan
- Kenny Logan, Scotland rugby star - Ola Jordan
- John Barnes, ex-England footballer - Nicole Cutler
- Brian Capron, actor - Karen Hardy
- Matt Di’Angelo actor - Flavia Cacace
- Gethin Jones, Blue Peter presenter - Camilla Dallerup
- Dominic Littlewood, TV presenter - Lilia Kopylova
- Willie Thorne, snooker player - Erin Boag
Judges: Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood, Arlene Phillips and Bruno Tonioli
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