Cynthia Erivo is an English actress, singer and songwriter who has quite a few shiny awards in her arsenal, including an Oscar, an Emmy, two Golden Globe Awards and a Screen Actors Guild Award, and even a Tony award.
And now, she’s joining the judge’s panel on Strictly Come Dancing, replacing Craig Revel Horwood for musical week while he recovers from COVID-19. The BBC revealed that Horwood was self-isolating earlier this week, adding he would not be taking part in the next couple of episodes. He's the latest Strictly star to be forced to miss an episode of this series after testing positive, following celebrity contestants Tom Fletcher and Judi Love, who also missed episodes.
Unfortunately, those next couple of episodes are the much-lauded musical weeks. Along with Halloween, these are the most anticipated (and the most fun, in our opinion) weeks in the Strictly game.
But while Horwood will be missed, Erivo makes for a perfect step-in. She is no stranger to the world of musical theatre, having performed in shows such as The Colour Purple, Sister Act and The Last Five Years - and she is to star as Elphaba in a film adaptation of blockbuster musical Wicked, so we’re excited to see her judging style for the much-anticipated musicals week.
'Musicals have a unique place in my heart, it's such a special way of connecting all art and making it one'
The star is best known for films like Harriet (for which she was awarded the Oscar for best female actress), Needle in a Timestack, and Chaos Walking. She also appeared in television programmes like Chewing Gum and The Tunnel.
The actress said: ‘I'm so delighted to be joining the Strictly judging panel for musicals week. Musicals have a unique place in my heart, it's such a special way of connecting all art and making it one. I'm excited to bring my experience to the show and I can't wait to see what the couples have in store this weekend.’
Seven couples remain in the competition. And according to the BBC, contestants will perform to songs from shows like The Sound Of Music, Les Misérables, Frozen and Matilda on Saturday. We’re excited to see how Erivo works with regular judges Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke, and what advice she gives to the dancers competing.
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