Darren Gough has called on 'Strictly Come Dancing' to scrap the judges' votes.
Darren Gough
The retired cricket star - who won the BBC Latin and ballroom competition in 2005 before winning the Christmas special the same year, and again in 2007 - has suggested the public should be the ones to decide who stays each week, rather than the panel making the call after the dance off.
He told The Sun newspaper's Bizarre TV column: "I believe reality shows should be nothing to do with the judges.
“The judges should put their scores in but the public are the ones who want to see that person week in week out - they should be the ones that make the decision about who stays in and who goes home.
"They’ll pick someone they really like early on in the show, and they’ll want them to get to the final because they might think they’re the best dancer."
The 50-year-old star insisted the viewers are "quite honest" with their voting, and the "best dancer" would get a chance to progress to the later stages.
He added: "I’d have it down to the public. The public are quite honest voters and they want the best dancer to get right to the end.
"But sometimes people go out when they shouldn’t go out. That’s why I’d like the public to get the final say, not the judges."
Whatever the future holds for the panel, he would like to see Anton Du Beke - who has been a pro on the show since its launch in 2004, and who sat in for judge Motsi Mabuse during the current series - stay involved in some capacity.
He said: "I’ve always liked Anton. He’s hilarious, a very funny character. Obviously he’s not quite as natural as Bruce Forsyth, but he’s taken a lot of his skills.
“When you see him do after-dinner stuff and present awards, you can tell Bruce has been a big influence on his humour.”
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