By John Jones

Copyright walesonline

After an action-packed first show of the series, Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday evening, with rugby player Chris Robshaw among those hoping to avoid being the first celebrity to leave the competition. The former England captain was given the unenviable task of performing the first dance of the new series last weekend, as he danced the samba with his professional partner Nadiya Bychkova. However, he found himself near the bottom of the leaderboard after receiving just 14 points, with only entertainment Ross King – who scored a total of 10 – faring worse. With their opening night scores being carried over to this week and contributing to their overall tally, it means that Robshaw will need an improved performance to give himself the best chance of avoiding being sent home first. However, behind the scenes, his wife, classical singer Camilla Kerslake, has voiced her disapproval at the situation the ex-Harlequins star finds himself in, raising concerns over the ‘wild’ differences in dancing experience among this year’s cast. West End performer Amber Davies, who joined the BBC show as a last-minute replacement for the injured Dani Dyer, has been the subject of such criticism, having had previous dance experience. Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope also has prior experience, having finished as a runner-up on Sky One’s Got to Dance in 2013, after launching his career on the West End as part of the cast of Billy Elliot: The Musical. Even former Lionesses star Karen Carney – who topped Saturday night’s leaderboard with 31 points for her jive – originally trained in dance until she was 15, before turning to football. While the argument has been made that competitions like Strictly are never going to be a level playing field, and the point made that none of this year’s contestants have Latin or Ballroom training, Kerslake has suggested that the difference in experience is unfair , with a number of fans on social media describing the competition as “a fix”. The 37-year-old took to Instagram to reply to a comment from former Love Island winner Amber Gill, which read: “Unpopular opinion: I think having people with so much dance experience is unfair.” In response, Kerslake wrote: “The experience differences are absolutely wild. Definitely.” She has since told the Daily Mail her reaction stemmed from wanting to support her husband after he scored poorly, saying: “I hope my big mouth won’t get Chris in the bottom two. I was furious last week, a protective wife, and I wanted to climb over the desk and give Craig (Revel Horwood) what for. “I’m so protective of my husband. I know how hard he’s working, how much this means to him, and I reacted.” It comes after Robshaw addressed rumours of falling victim to the ‘Strictly curse’, having struck up a good working relationship with Bychkova in his first weeks of training. The so-called ‘curse’ refers to the numerous past contestants that have found love on the show while in prior relationships, but the 39-year-old former flanker is not remotely concerned about his marriage being placed in jeopardy, instead viewing such rumours as the ultimate compliment. “Surely if people think there’s something going on between us, we must be doing something right,” he told The Sun. “Nadiya and I are a team, both totally focused on the dancing and giving it our all week by week. “She’s a world champion, a top athlete, and I massively respect her. It’s just down to me to deliver the rest – so no pressure. We are a team, and we want to head in the same direction – and that is hopefully not in the bottom two. “Camilla and I are solid,” the ex-England skipper added. “She’s incredibly supportive, and we have a lot of trust in our marriage.” Robshaw married Kerslake, herself a famous face in the world of classical music, in 2018 and have since welcomed two sons – Wilder, born in 2021, and Hunter, born last year – together. The singer, who was signed to Gary Barlow’s record label in 2009, has performed for royalty and at top sporting events, as well as appearing in the West End and touring with fellow classical singer Russell Watson Together, the couple have set up their own charity – the Kerslake Robshaw Foundation – which aims to provide a creative outlet for children to be able to socialise and stay active through music and sport