HE was brimming with confidence and had the moves to match, but certain Strictly viewers were left unconvinced by Shayne Ward’s performance.
The former X Factor winner danced a notoriously awkward samba with his dance partner Nancy Xu, spinning around the dance floor to Stevie Wonder’s hit Do I Do.
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Shayne’s ’70s get-up gave some fans goosebumps when he hit the dance floorCredit: PA
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Shayne gave a confident performance and showed some skill on the dance floorCredit: PA
But it seems that the steamy routine and styling from the seventies have cooled some fans off a bit.
One person thought he was too confident.
“Overconfidence is actually something I don’t enjoy with Shayne right now. No doubt, he is good, but he is NOT a master of all things dance.”
Another critic said: “Shayne Ward was good in the first week, but there is something so terrible about him.”
Another said: “Find someone who loves you as much as Shayne Ward loves himself.”
And the other person simply said, “He’s insufferable.”
But regardless of the criticism, few could deny that the 39-year-old had a serious flair on the dance floor with his snake-like enthusiasm.
One Shayne fan said: “First week, I smashed it”
Another agreed, saying: “The first week has totally destroyed him, he’s going to let the negative comments go to his head and prove them wrong as the weeks go by.”
Indeed, Shayne’s wife, actress Sophie Austin, was seen clapping proudly in the audience alongside her father, Shayne’s father-in-law, Austin James.
The Manchester-born star won the second series of The X Factor in 2005, competing against Andy Abraham, who finished in second place, and Journey South, who came third.
He then got a recording contract with Simon Cowell’s Syco label and released several successful singles.
Shayne’s biggest hits include That’s My Goal, which was his debut single and reached number one in the UK.
Another popular song is No Promises, which reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart.
His song Breathless from his second album was also a huge hit and reached number 3 in the UK Singles Chart.
Ever the showman, Shayne won the National Television Award for Most Popular Talent Show in 2006 for his win on The X Factor.
As well as his music career, Shayne later took on the role of Staycee Jaxx in the West End ’80s musical Rock of Ages, remaining in the series from 2011 to 2012.
After achieving significant success in music, Shayne expanded his career into acting.
The X Factor winner joined the Corrie cast as bad boy Aidan Connor in August 2015 – Carla’s half-brother (later revealed in the dramatic storyline), who at the time owned the Underworld factory.
His character quickly became known as a ladies’ man, something that came back to haunt him in the complicated love triangle between Maria Connor (Samia Longchambon) and Eva Price (Catherine Tyldesley).
In a typically dramatic conclusion to the story, Aidan felt Eva’s wrath as she went “full bunny” after she discovered his affair with a sneaky plot to sabotage their wedding day.
He won two Best Newcomer gongs in 2016 – one at the National Television Awards and the other at the Inside Soap Awards.
But in 2018, his on-screen persona committed suicide in Coronation Street.
Shayne has been in a relationship with Hollyoaks actress Sophie Austin since 2016. The couple got engaged in 2017 but postponed their wedding day during the coronavirus pandemic.
They have two children together, Willow born in 2017 and a son, Reign, in June 2022.
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Shayne on his way to rehearsals in Manchester with his dance partner NancyCredit: Splash
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Shayne and Nancy seem to have established a good professional relationship Credit: Splash
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Some say they will be the couple to beat this yearCredit: PA
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Source: HIS Education