Strictly “found by another fixed row” as Fleur East had to redo her dance performance

Strictly Come Dancing could face another potential row when it emerged that Fleur East had to redo her dance performance after falling over.

The X Factor singer, 35, and her professional partner Vito Coppola faced off against EastEnders star James Bye, 38, and Amy Dowden in Sunday’s dreaded dance-off, where the actor was eventually sent home.

However, it has since been claimed that Fleur took up her dance again after a horrific fall which saw her ‘crash down’ on her partner, with the moment not broadcast or mentioned in the results show.

The Sun reports that the Sax hitmaker fell over her props and felled her dance partner during their Salsa to Break My Soul by Beyoncé, with the decision to allow them to start again once they were checked by doctors.

A source said: “It was a deeply unfortunate incident, and not Fleur’s or Vito’s fault at all. After about five seconds, when she was supposed to be pulling Vito in the booster seat, the legs slipped.

She fell down and took Vito down as well. They landed incredibly hard – it was quite shocking and the audience gasped audibly. Poor Fleur looked stunned and devastated, and no one really knew what was happening on or off stage.

Finally the warm-up guy came and addressed the crowd while Fleur and Vito checked out. They started their dance again and apparently this second version was the one that aired. There was no reference to the case by the judges either.

The source added to the publication that contestant James was “not bothered at all” by Fleur’s second chance and that he “genuinely believed” she was the better dance of the night.

However, the other contestants backstage were said to be “quite shocked” by what had happened, with the insider adding that it’s “not exactly a live performance” if stars are allowed to “crack something else”.

MailOnline has contacted Strictly Come Dancing representatives for comment.

A BBC spokesperson told The Sun: “Following an incident with a prop at the start of Fleur and Vito’s dance performance, the decision was made to stop proceedings to check they were not injured.

“As they had not started dancing before the incident occurred, it was decided that they could start the performance again, once it was confirmed that they were fit to do so.”

After both couples danced a second time during the Halloween special, judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke handed down their verdicts, with all four choosing to save Fleur.

It comes after Fleur was last month swept up in a sexist row with head judge Shirley Ballas, with Fleur stepping in to defend the Queen of Latin.

The TV judge, 62, revealed during the show’s second dance-off that she would have chosen to save radio star Richie Anderson over the singer, despite Fleur scoring better for her performance.

And in the wake of Shirley facing a barrage of criticism for her choice, and over her alleged “sexist” comments about the show, Fleur came to her defence, branding the backlash “really unfair”.

The former X Factor star spoke of her shock at the criticism Shirley faced, adding that she had “the utmost respect” for her and the other judges.

As well as claims that she favors male contestants on the show, Shirley has been accused of having “favorites whether they have ability or not”, with many claiming that Fleur had been the superior dancer to Richie.

She has also come under fire for flirtatious comments about male contestants after she described Will Mellor as “easy on the eyes”.

Fans have since defended the TV personality against the ‘uber woke’ brigade, pointing out that her role on the show is to be a judge and provide criticism to help the celebrities improve.

The remaining ten couples will take to the dance floor next when Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday 5 November at 19.00, and the result will be shown on Sunday, November 6 at 7.15pm on BBC One.