Strictly Come Dancing fans took to social media on Saturday night to slam presenter Tess Daly’s comment to contestant Chris McCausland.
Viewers spotted the show presenter’s embarrassing blunder and did not hold back online, as they took to social media during the live quarter final on BBC One.
Chris, 47, and professional dancer Dianne Buswell, 35, blew viewers away with their Quickstep performance to You’re The Top from Anything Goes as part of musicals week.
After the performance, which scored the pair a 32, Chris and Dianne walked over to Tess, 55, where fans could hear the presenter ask Chris ‘can you see how happy she is with you?’
Fans were left confused, pointing out that Chris is blind due to retinitis pigmentosa.
Strictly Come Dancing fans took to social media on Saturday night to slam presenter Tess Daly ‘s comment to contestant Chris McCausland
Chris and Dianne walked over to Tess, 55, where fans could hear Tess ask Chris ‘can you see how happy she is with you’. Fans were left furious as Chris is blind due to retinitis pigmentosa
Many fans took to X, formally known as Twitter, to share their thoughts.
One wrote, ‘Did Tess actually just say “can you see how happy she is with you” to Chris. A blind man.’
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Another penned ‘Tess to Chris: “Can you see how happy she is with you?” The awkwardness…’.
Many paired their posts with well known GIFs featuring awkward side eyes as well as lots of face palming emojis.
Another post stated, ‘Tess saying to Chris ‘can you see how happy she is?…um no Tess, he can’t’.
Chris had previously admitted he was ‘terrified’ to join the show and become the first blind contestant, however he has soon become a fan favourite.
The comedian lost his sight throughout his 20s and 30s due to the hereditary disease, retinitis pigmentosa.
During an interview with The Big Issue, he explained how he had to face the change. He said: ‘when you’re losing your sight gradually, there’s never a clear moment when you are forced to deal with it.
One wrote, ‘Did Tess actually just say “can you see how happy she is with you” to Chris. A blind man.’
Chris, 47, and professional dancer Dianne Buswell, 35, blew viewers away with their Quickstep performance to You’re The Top from Anything Goes as part of musicals week
Dianne looked emotional as she continued to praise the star, saying: ‘But you mustn’t forget, for 20 odd years, Chris’s safe space has been down here (looking at the floor)’
‘I’d refuse to be associated with things connected to it, like, ‘I’m not using a stick, I’m going to pretend I can see’.
‘But you get into more trouble pretending there’s nothing wrong.’
The quarter final routine saw Chris and his partner Dianne dressed in nautical outfits and the backup dancers skipped and hopped around them as they commanded the stage.
After their performance, the pair spoke with Claudia Winkleman, 52, backstage and Dianne looked close to tears as she discussed how much Chris has grown throughout the show so far.
Claudia asked Chris: ‘How did you find it? And did you welcome the extra dancers?’
He responded with: ‘It feels good to dance. It’s joyful, you know? That was really fun. It’s been a good week doing it all.’
He added: ‘Having the extra dancers, it’s… I can’t see them around me, but it’s the idea of what it is around me. Especially because it feels like you’re bringing a proper show.’
Turning to his dance partner, Claudia asked: ‘Dianne, you say he blew your mind this week?’
The routine saw them dressed in nautical outfits and the backup dancers skipped and hopped around them as they commanded the stage
Dianne and Chris spoke with Claudia Winkleman , 52, backstage and Dianne looked close to tears as she discussed how much Chris has grown throughout the show so far
She began: ‘He did. You’ve just seen what he did there. I am so grateful for (the judge’s) constructive criticism -‘ as Chris interrupted to joke: ‘I’m not!’
Dianne looked emotional as she continued to praise the star, saying: ‘But you mustn’t forget, for 20 odd years, Chris’s safe space has been down here (looking at the floor).’
‘So for him to stand up and, it makes me quite emotional, because it is a big thing that we’ve overcome. And you’ve done so well!’
Viewers were touched by the exchange and took to X, formerly Twitter, to comment on Dianne’s tearful comments.
One remarked: ‘Dianne has made me emotional taking about how much chris has improved in the competition you can tell they have the best friendship and love seeing it on the dance floor each week.’
The duo received some sharp criticism from the judges for their performance to the sound of You’re The Top from Anything Goes and walked away with a combined score of 32
Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One and is available to stream exclusively on iPlayer.