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Adam Peaty's mum calls fix: 5 things we learned from 'Strictly' this week

Adam Peaty and Katya Jones have been voted out of the celebrity dance contest at the midway point. (BBC)
Adam Peaty and Katya Jones were voted out of the celebrity dance contest at the midway point. (BBC)

This week has seen more fix rumours hit the Strictly ballroom - this time from Adam Peaty's mum, who couldn't believe the public would vote her son out.

Another controversy hit when the BBC had to respond to favouritism claims about its winners, but there was also some good Strictly news.

Read more: Has Oti Mabuse danced on Strictly for the last time?

Former show stars Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev welcomed their second baby, while Giovanna Fletcher confirmed there was no chance of husband Tom falling victim to the Strictly Curse.

The 5 biggest Strictly stories this week, 6-12 November

Adam Peaty's mum thinks Strictly is a fix

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 08:  Parents of Adam Peaty, Mum Caroline and Dad Mark talk to Darren Campbell attend the Adam Peaty’s family press conference on August 8, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
Adam Peaty's mum Caroline is a loyal supporter. (Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

If there's one person most of us can rely on to stick up for us in any situation, it's our mum - and Adam Peaty is no exception.

When the Olympic swimmer was voted out of the competition last weekend, he might have taken it with good grace, but his mum Caroline didn't hold back.

Tweeting her pride at her son's performances, she added: "Total fix and I’m not buying the public vote."

Read more: Adam Peaty warns about 'consequences' of Katya kiss speculation

Peaty later clarified what she meant, telling BBC Breakfast: “I agree with you, mums are always going to support their own. She wanted to see me every Saturday night – you know how mums get, bless her.

“I love her to bits, she loves me to bits. I think she just wanted me to do a paso (doble), that’s all she wanted to see me do… for me, if anyone can lose well it’s me, and everyone in that competition, they are incredible people, and I’m glad I’m out because I don’t deserve to be there."

BBC addresses Strictly 'favouritism' claims

 Rose Ayling-Ellis said she loved her white boots so much she was taking them home. (BBC)
Could Rose Ayling-Ellis join the list of BBC winners? (BBC)

Ever cared to look back over the careers of former winners of the show? Then you might just have noticed one thing many of them have in common...

The BBC often casts stars of its own shows in the ballroom line-up, and it's become clear that the BBC talent often win, including Natasha Kaplinsky, Tom Chambers, Jill Halfpenny and Kara Tointon.

Rose Ayling-Ellis, who stars in EastEnders, could also be on course to join the list of champions as the favourite in the 2021 series.

However, a BBC spokesperson said: "These statistics are misleading. The winner of Strictly is decided by the public vote."

Tom Fletcher won't fall victim to Strictly Curse says wife Giovanna

ALYESBURY, UNITED KINGDOM - 2021/07/29: Giovanna and Tom Fletcher attend the launch party for Mario Falcone's new trainer brand, Belvotti Milano, held at The Manor, Aylesbury. (Photo by Phil Lewis/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Giovanna Fletcher doesn't worry about the 'Strictly' Curse. (Phil Lewis/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The ballroom is a notorious breeding ground for romances and affairs, but one contestant wife who isn't worried about her husband straying is Giovanna Fletcher.

She told the Daily Telegraph that she and husband Tom Fletcher were both big fans of his dance partner Amy Dowden and that she trusted him completely.

I'm A Celebrity winner Fletcher said: "We both adore Amy, she’s so lovely and kind.

Read more: Strictly Curse 2021 - What is it and who's fallen victim to it?

“I don’t believe in the Strictly curse,” she stated, and insisted that “life happens, relationships break up and it’s not something I worry about.”

“Besides, my husband is in a band, if he wanted to cheat on me, he’d have done it long ago.”

Goodbye, Adam Peaty

Adam Peaty has danced his last. (BBC)
Adam Peaty has danced his last. (BBC)

He'd been struggling for a few weeks on the trot, but time was finally up for Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty last weekend after he and Katya Jones lost the dance off to Tilly Ramsay and Nikita Kuzmin.

Writing afterwards on Instagram, Peaty admitted: "I didn’t know how much it meant to me until I got a bit emotional after my dance-off; however, I don’t think it was the dancing that pushed me over the edge, but the two years of the constant challenge with myself combined with the energy to win the Olympics and becoming a father at the same time. My emotions are one of my strongest attributes and I’m not ashamed to show that I’m human.

"It’s crazy to me because I thought I was “ok” but I am not. We all have to wear a piece of armour to get the job done and it wasn’t until this week that I knew I could let it go. I’m still healing from the trials and tribulations that elite sporting athletes go through but with that I’m also adapting and learning from life."

Congratulations, Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev!

Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev have welcomed their second child, a girl called Noa. (PA)
Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev have welcomed their second child, a girl called Noa. (PA)

Some lovely news from a former Strictly couple who are now a real-life couple - Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev have finally welcomed their second daughter.

Baby Noa arrived 15 days overdue on Bonfire night, with Countdown maths star Riley saying that she was born "to the sound of fireworks".

The couple met when they danced together in the 2013 series and are now married, with their first daughter, Maven, born in 2019.

Watch: Adam Peaty comments on mother's 'total fix' claims