The Greatest Dancer mentor Cheryl, 35, recently came under fire from choreographer and Dancing On Ice judge Jason Gardiner, 47, when he questioned whether or not she was qualified for the job on the BBC’s brand new talent show. However, Jordan Banjo, 26, has defended the former Girls Aloud star, throwing his support behind the judging line-up, which is comprised of Cheryl, Strictly Come Dancing professional Oti Mabuse, 28, and Glee star Matthew Morrison, 40. “You’ve got Oti, whose dance credentials speak for themselves, you got Matt, who is known for Glee, known for dancing, known for performing. Cheryl is one that is hard,” he said on The Greatest Dancer podcast. “I feel like don’t let Cheryl’s success in other areas diminish how much dance knowledge she actually has.
“Just because she is so well known as a singer and a performer, don’t let it diminish the fact that she has a wealth of knowledge in terms of dance,” Jordan insisted.
“She’s grown up dancing; she’s been around it her whole life.
“She knows what she is talking about; she knows what the audience are going to love,” he added.
“All three of them are serious power houses when it comes to being mentors.”
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Jordan’s comments come after Cheryl responded to criticism of her dance experience, admitting she was less qualified than her co-stars.
Speaking to The Sun about her fellow judges, she said: “They’re had really long careers in dance and in performing arts.
“Mentoring other people one-on-one like I did on X Factor might help me with the mentality of how things go,” she continued.
“But in terms of knowledge and stuff, they’re more qualified.
“The thing I was probably most experience with was, I went to summer school at the Royal Ballet when I was nine… and now I’m like 35.
“So beyond a pas de chat I probably couldn’t tell them much more. I couldn’t tell a ballerina what to do.”
Cheryl spoke out after Dancing On Ice’s famously sharp-tongued Jason called the judging line-up on The Greatest Dancer “questionable”.
“What is [Cheryl’s] dance background?” he said to The Mirror. “She went to Royal Ballet School that you pay for — an extortionate amount to go to because mum and dad just want to drop you off somewhere for the holidays.”
When asked to comment by Express.co.uk, a representative for Cheryl declined.
The Greatest Dancer will see the studio audience decide the fate of dance acts.
If the majority of the audience are impressed by the performance, a mirror wall will lift up to reveal the act for the judges.
The Greatest Dancer starts tonight at 8pm on BBC One.