5 Reasons Why Karen Hardy Should Be A Judge

This is a very dull, serious sort of post on the whole. It's just a comment on why it's stupid that Alesha should be a judge on Strictly when they have the perfect candidate staring them in the face. Now this isn't a rant about Karen being 'axed'. We don't know the ins and the outs of it - don't forget that she was considering leaving last year anyway. It might have been partly her decision. We don't know. This is merely to point out that, if the BBC were determined to get rid of Arlene, Karen would have been the ideal replacement.

1) Qualified Ballroom and Latin Judge

If you scroll down our entries, you will see that, in fact, one of us (I'm not sure which) suggested that the BBC replace Arlene this coming series. But not with unqualified Alesha, oh no, with someone almost more qualified to judge than Arlene. Having two ballroom and latin specialists on the panel seems very sensible to me, anyway, so Karen, as a ballroom and latin judge, is the ideal candidate. As we said months and months ago.

2) Big Personality

I'll give the BBC the credit that they won't have chosen Alesha merely because she's a pretty young thing. She undeniably is a big character - she's warm, friendly and just a little bit mad. Qualities that the British really take to. In fact, I really like her (though I didn't watch her trekking up Kilimanjaro and that has changed some opinions, non?) The only problem I have with the decision is that she isn't qualified to judge. But Karen is. AND Karen too has a big, warm personality that also shines through on TV. Yes, she may grate on some people. But so does Alesha...

3) Been There, Done That

In the Alesha camp, it's been said that she's qualified to judge because she's been there and done it. She's been through the rigorous training and faced the wrath of the judges' panel. But so is Karen. She'll appreciate how difficult it is for the contestants and she'll be able to remark on the choreography and technique! Uh, bonus.

4) It Already Works

Time and time again, Karen has proved the judges wrong on her little BBC Breakfast slot. She's noticed things that the other judges have missed (Kelly dancing a Viennese Waltz on her toes for example) and yes, maybe the BBC doesn't want another nit-picky Len. But the judges are there to judge. They are the head; the public is the heart. Karen isn't afraid to speak her mind but she's also sympathetic to the fact that it is a really tough challenge for the celebs and pros alike. She's also had experience of being a judge on Diet on the Dancefloor.

5) We Love Her

She's our favourite pro. She's a real person who's had to overcome so much. She's a great role-model and a great example of a woman who's able to balance family life with having a great career. Now, yeah, I know these aren't real reasons as to why she'd make a great judge but it does make her more human and more like the rest of us. We'd never heard of Len, Craig or Bruno before Strictly so surely it works having someone who's a bit more less celeb-shaped? This show isn't about the judges. Unless it really, really does want to be The X-Factor.