Josh Widdicombe has faced criticism from some diehard Strictly Come Dancing viewers since joining the BBC show’s new presenting line-up alongside Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe.
Now, the comedian appears to have endured another setback after complaining on Instagram about the budget ground-floor hotel room where he is staying. “This is no life,” he wrote on Friday.
Although Strictly fans appear to be gradually warming to the 43-year-old, Josh said he was feeling “incredibly stressed” because the room overlooks a car park. He explained that he has been forced to keep the curtains shut throughout the day to prevent people from seeing inside.
It is not known whether Josh was staying at the hotel ahead of Strictly rehearsals on Friday. He lives in Exeter and travels to London each week.
He said: “A brief update on my brilliant life. Ground-floor hotel room. It’s just incredibly stressful. Who’s this [driving past]? I could have been nude. I’ve got to have a shower in a minute.
“I basically have to have the curtains closed at all times, like I’m recovering from a breakup and lying in bed. I just don’t want to be nude in front of other people. Is that too much to ask? This is no life.”
Josh captioned the post: “The showbiz dream continues.”
Strictly host Josh Widdicombe took to Instagram on Friday to complain that his budget ground-floor hotel room overlooks a car park, meaning he says he has to keep the curtains closed throughout the day
It is not known whether Josh was staying there ahead of Strictly rehearsals on Friday, as he lives in Exeter and commutes to London each week
The Daily Mail has contacted Strictly and Josh’s representatives for further information.
Since Strictly returned, Emma, Johannes and Josh have faced intense scrutiny after taking over the presenting roles previously held by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.
Despite the controversy surrounding Josh’s appointment, viewers appear to be slowly warming to his style as a Strictly presenter.
However, Strictly fans were left frustrated when producers failed to alter the presenting format, despite earlier criticism of the trio’s arrangement.
Rather than responding to viewers’ concerns, show bosses continued with the original plan. Josh and Emma presented from the dance floor, while Johannes appeared in the area known as the “Clauditorium”.
Viewers took to X to accuse the programme’s bosses of “ignoring the public”, questioning why they had not acted on fans’ complaints.
One viewer wrote: “So they ignored the public and kept Josh downstairs doing his work experience. Will Jojo talk while they walk up the stairs?”
Another added: “They’ve not changed the presenting situation then.”
A third posted: “Josh is downstairs. They haven’t listened.”
Another viewer said: “When we said Josh felt like a spare part downstairs, we didn’t mean we wanted him to do more and Emma less.”
One frustrated fan questioned the decision, writing: “I don’t understand why they’re not varying the presenting. Why is Johannes in the Clauditorium again? I’d have thought they would have swapped over and had Josh Widdicombe there this week after presenting on the floor last week.”
‘I really wish they had put JoJo and Josh together upstairs.’
Josh said he feels ‘incredibly stressed’ as he declared ‘this is no life’ while showing the huge window looking onto the carpark to fans
‘Really surprised they haven’t switched and tried Josh in the upstairs role after the feedback from last week.’
However, on a positive note for the new hosts, former pro Johannes was widely praised by fans for vastly improving on his presenting skills.
Week two of Strictly saw the celebrities take on the Movie Week theme, with the stars performing numbers from films including The Devil Wears Prada, Mary Poppins and Zootropolis.
The scores from week one were added to their week two scores, giving them a combined overall total.
Australian singer Delta Goodrem and her partner Kai Widdrington topped the leaderboard this week with their combined score of 59 points.
First up was Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin, who did a Foxtrot to Beauty and the Beast from Beauty and the Beast.
