Charities praise Strictly contestants who use Makaton for non-verbal viewers
They've started saying 'thank you' using the sign language
Strictly Come Dancing 2019 is seriously hotting up. After the judges' controversial decision to send home former Coronation Street star Catherine Tyldesley over newsreader Mike Bushell on Saturday night (26th Oct), viewers were left in total outrage.
Catherine, who was partnered with Johannes Radebe, shared an emotional tribute to him on Instagram which praised the dancer for helping build her confidence, as the two had become incredibly close friends during their time on the show.
She wrote, 'When I started my #Strictly journey my confidence was low. What @johannesradebe gave me was priceless Confidence ,Belief, Love- and Laughter beyond words! This man is a gift to the world. If there were more people like him the world would be spectacular. He taught me to love and appreciate what my body could achieve.'
What some viewers may or may not have noticed is that the celebrity contestants have started to use Makaton sign language on the show when thanking the public for voting them through to the next week.
This is to help non-verbal viewers to feel involved in the show, with celebrities Chris Ramsey, Saffron Barker, Emma Barton and Michelle Visage all taking part each week. Now, Mencap have publicly praised the celebrities for their inclusion of non-verbal people.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk, Amy Clarke, Mencap's Digital Assistant, said, "It’s fantastic that the judges and contestants on Strictly Come Dancing are using Makaton as it makes the show more accessible for people who have a learning disability, like me.
"By using Makaton on the programme, Strictly Come Dancing is helping to raise awareness about learning disability and make people who have a learning disability feel more included in society. I feel that Makaton should be used more often across reality television shows and hope that more programmes will follow suit."
Hannah Anderson from The Makaton Charity said, "It’s wonderful to see Strictly stars signing at the beginning of their performance. This is supporting the ongoing awareness and highlighting the ease of inclusion by using the Makaton communication system. Keep signing and dancing."
Scroll through to see which dances the Strictly stars have done so far...
Week 13 - Final
Emma Barton and Anton Du Beke
Anton was absolutely delighted to make it to the final for the first time in years. He and Emma will be dancing a Judges' Pick of the Charleston to 'Thoroughly Modern Millie' from Musicals Week, and also a Showdance to 'Let Yourself Go' by Irving Berlin.
Karim Zeroual and Amy Dowden
Karim and Amy found themselves in the bottom two for the second time in the Semi-Final, but were unanimously saved by the judges, who have chosen their routine from Week 7 to perform again - 'Mr Pinstripe Suit' by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. The Showdance will be to 'A Million Dreams' by P!nk.
Kelvin Fletcher and Oti Mabuse
Kelvin has come so far considering he was a late addition to the show! His Judges' Pick is the Rumba to 'Ain't No Sunshine' from Week 4, and the Showdance is 'Shout' by The Isley Brothers.
Week 12 - Semi-Finals
Kelvin Fletcher and Oti Mabuse
It was Kevin and Oti's turn to perform the Paso Doble! The pair performed to 'Seven Nation Army' by The White Stripes, before doing a Quickstep to 'The Lady Is a Tramp' by the Glee Cast.
Karim Zeroual and Amy Dowden
After getting the first 40 of the series in the Quarter-Final, Karim and Amy hoped to replicate that, performing the Argentine Tango to 'Libertango' by Bond and the American Smooth to 'Sweet Caroline' by Neil Diamond.
Emma Barton and Anton Du Beke
Following years of being eliminated from the show early, Anton was praying he could make it into the final! The pair performed a Cha Cha Cha to 'Hold My Hand' by Jess Glynne and the Waltz to 'Gymnopédie No.1' by Erik Satie.
Chris Ramsey and Karen Hauer
Chris and Karen performed a Rumba to 'Don't Watch Me Cry' by Jorja Smith and the Viennese Waltz to 'Somebody to Love' by Queen. He didn't expect to make it this far, so he wasn't too surprised when he was voted out in the Semi-Final.
Week 11 - Quarter-Finals
Alex Scott and Neil Jones
Alex and Neil will performed the Samba to 'Joyful Joyful' from Sister Act. However, this was to be their last dance, as the pair were voted off the show.
Chris Ramsey and Karen Hauer
Chris and Karen done the Foxtrot to 'Consider Yourself' from Oliver!.
Emma Barton and Anton Du Beke
Emma and Anton performed the Charleston to 'Thoroughly Modern Millie' from Thoroughly Modern Millie.
Karim Zeroual and Amy Dowden
Karim and Amy danced a Jive to 'You Can't Stop the Beat' from Hairspray.
Kelvin Fletcher and Oti Mabuse
Kelvin and Oti done the American Smooth to 'Gaston' from Beauty and the Beast.
Week 10
Alex Scott and Neil Jones
Alex and Neil performed an Argentine Tango to 'Never Tear Us Apart' by Bishop Briggs.
Chris Ramsey and Karen Hauer
Chris and Karen performed a powerful Paso Doble to 'Run Boy Run' by Woodkid.
Emma Barton and Anton Du Beke
Emma and Anton did a Quickstep to 'Sparkling Diamonds' by Nicole Kidman.
Karim Zeroual and Amy Dowden
Karim and Amy had their Couple's Choice, choosing to do a Contemporary to 'Drops of Jupiter' by With Confidence.
Kelvin Fletcher and Oti Mabuse
Kelvin and Oti also had their Couple's Choice, picking a Street/Commercial to 'Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)' by Frank Wilson.
Saffron Barker and AJ Pritchard
Saffron and AJ had AJ's dreaded Samba, dancing to 'Walking on Sunshine' by Take Me To Rio Collective.
Week Nine
Alex Scott and Neil Jones
Alex and Neil tok on the Paso Doble in Blackpool to 'Run The World (Girls)' by Beyoncé.
Chris Ramsey and Karen Hauer
Chris and Karen danced a Salsa in Blackpool to 'Uptown Funk' by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars.
Emma Barton and Anton Du Beke
Emma and Anton did an American Smooth in Blackpool to 'Let's Face The Music & Dance' by Ella Fitzgerald.
Karim Zeroual and Amy Dowden
Karim and Amy took on the Charleston in Blackpool to 'Happy' by C2C featuring Derek Martin.
Kelvin Fletcher and Oti Mabuse
Kelvin and Oti danced a Jive in Blackpool to 'Jailhouse Rock' from Smokey Joe's Cafe.
Michelle Visage and Giovanni Pernice
Michelle and Giovanni danced a Couple's Choice in Blackpool to 'Vogue' by Madonna.
Saffron Barker and AJ Pritchard
Saffron and AJ danced a Quickstep in Blackpool to 'Marvellous Party' by Beverley Knight.
Week Eight
Alex Scott and Neil Jones
Alex and Neil will finally be reunited after Neil's injury! They're performing a Jive to 'Let's Twist Again' by Chubby Checker.
Chris Ramsey and Karen Hauer
Comedian Chris and his partner Karen will be dancing a Tango to 'Survivor' by 2wei.
Emma Barton and Anton Du Beke
Emma and Anton will be performing a Couple's Choice of a Theatre dance to 'Right Now' by The Pussycat Dolls.
Karim Zeroual and Amy Dowden
Karim and Amy will be dancing a Viennese Waltz to 'Give Me Love' by Ed Sheeran.
Kelvin Fletcher and Oti Mabuse
Kelvin and Oti are bringing back the hip action this weekend, taking on the Salsa to 'Let's Hear It For The Boy' by Deniece Williams.
Michelle Visage and Giovanni Pernice
Michelle and Giovanni will be taking on the American Smooth to 'I Just Want To Make Love To You' by Etta James.
Mike Bushell and Katya Jones
Mike and Katya are going to be dancing the Paso Doble to 'Tamacun' by Rodrigo y Gabriela.
Saffron Barker and AJ Pritchard
Saffron and AJ are dancing a Waltz to 'Your Song' by Ellie Goulding.
Week Seven
Alex Scott and Neil Jones
Alex danced with Kevin Clifton again as Neil wasn't well enough, taking on an American Smooth to 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell.
Chris Ramsey and Karen Hauer
Chris and Karen performed a Couple's Choice to 'Let's Get Ready To Rhumble' by PJ and Duncan - AKA Ant and Dec!
Emma Weymouth and Aljaž Skorjanec
Emma and Aljaz danced a Samba to 'I Don't Care' by Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber.
Emma Barton and Anton Du Beke
Emma and Anton danced a Rumba to Barbra Streisand's 'Woman In Love'.
Karim Zeroual and Amy Dowden
Karim and Amy took on the Quickstep to 'Mr. Pinstripe Suit' by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.
Kelvin Fletcher and Oti Mabuse
Kelvin and Oti performed a Viennese Waltz to 'Say Something' by A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera.
Michelle Visage and Giovanni Pernice
Michelle and Giovanni took on the Paso Doble, dancing to Queen's famous 'Another One Bites The Dust'.
Mike Bushell and Katya Jones
Mike and Katya danced the Charleston to 'Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines' by the Ron Goodwin Orchestra.
Saffron Barker and AJ Pritchard
Saffron and AJ took on the Salsa to 'Instruction' by Jax Jones, Demi Lovato and Stefflon Don.
Week Six
Alex Scott and Neil Jones
After her amazing performance in the previous week, Alex performed the Couple's Choice routine to 'Ghostbusters' by Ray Parker Jr. Unfortunately, Neil was injured just a couple of hours before the performance, leading Kevin Clifton to step in with just 45 minutes of practise.
Catherine Tyldesley and Johannes Radebe
Catherine and Johannes performed a Cha Cha Cha to Steps single 'Scared Of The Dark'.
Chris Ramsey and Karen Clifton
South Shields-born comedian Chris and his partner Karen took on a Samba to 'Everybody' by Backstreet Boys.
Emma Weymouth and Aljaž Skorjanec
This week, Emma danced the Charleston to 'A Little Party Never Killed Nobody' by Fergie.
Emma Barton and Anton Du Beke
Emma and Anton performed the Tango to 'Toccata and Fugue in D Minor' by Bach.
Karim Zeroual and Amy Dowden
After impressing everyone in the previous week, Karim and his partner Amy danced the Paso Doble to 'Smalltown' by Boy Bronski Beat.
Kelvin Fletcher and Oti Mabuse
Kelvin and his sexy hips took on the Tango to 'Bad Guy' by Billie Eilish.
Michelle Visage and Giovanni Pernice
Michelle and Giovanni performed a Foxtrot to the Addams Family theme tune.
Saffron Barker and AJ Pritchard
Saffron and AJ performed an upbeat Jive to 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic' by The Police.
Will Bayley and Janette Manrara
Will and Janette hoped to continue in the competition, and were meant to dance the Jive to 'Casper' by Little Richard. Sadly, Will came down with an illness, and was too poorly to perform.
Mike Bushell and Katya Jones
Following THAT performance last week, Mike and Katya danced the Tango to Gwen Stefani's 'What You Waiting For' .
Week 5
Alex Scott and Neil Jones
Alex and Neil danced an incredible Charleston to 'Pump Up The Jam' by Swingrowers.
Catherine Tyldesley and Johannes Radebe
Catherine and Johannes took on the Tango to 'Little Bird' by Annie Lennox.
Chris Ramsey and Karen Clifton
Chris and Karen danced the Quickstep to 'Let's Go Crazy' by Prince.
David James and Nadiya Bychkova
David and Nadiya danced a Jive to 'Such A Night' by Michael Bublé.
Emma Weymouth and Aljaž Skorjanec
Emma and Aljaž performed a Viennese Waltz to 'Saving All My Love For You' by Whitney Houston.
Emma Barton and Anton Du Beke
Emma and Anton took on the Paso Doble, and performed the dance to 'Nothing Breaks Like A Heart' by Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus.
Karim Zeroual and Amy Dowden
Karim and Amy performed a Salsa to 'Who Let The Dogs Out' by Baha Men.
Kelvin Fletcher and Oti Mabuse
Kelvin and Oti danced the Cha Cha Cha to 'Get Stupid' by former Strictly contestant Aston Merrygold.
Michelle Visage and Giovanni Pernice
Michelle and Giovanni danced a Rumba to 'Too Good At Goodbyes' by Sam Smith.
Mike Bushell and Katya Jones
Mike and Katya performed a Samba to 'Jump On It' by The Sugarhill Gang.
Saffron Barker and AJ Pritchard
Saffron and AJ took on the Foxtrot to the 'Theme From New York, New York' by Frank Sinatra.
Will Bayley and Janette Manrara
Will and Janette danced a beautiful Couple's Choice to '7 Years' by Lukas Graham.
Week 4
Alex Scott and Neil Jones
Alex and Neil danced the Tango to 'Go Your Own Way' by Fleetwood Mac.
Catherine Tyldesley and Johannes Radebe
Catherine and Johannes took on the Charleston to 'Single Ladies' by Beyoncé.
Emma Barton and Anton Du Beke
Emma and Anton performed a Viennese Waltz to 'Send in the Clowns' by Barbra Streisand.
Emma Weymouth and Aljaž Skorjanec
Emma and Aljaž performed a Jive to 'Kids in America' by Kim Wilde.
Michelle Visage and Giovanni Pernice
Michelle and Giovanni danced a Salsa to 'Quimbara' by Johnny Pacheco and Celia Cruz.
Saffron Barker and AJ Pritchard
Saffron and AJ had Week 5's Couple's Choice, and performed a Contemporary to 'Because You Loved Me' by Celine Dion.
Chris Ramsey and Karen Clifton
Chris and Karen took on the Jive to 'Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)' by Elton John.
David James and Nadiya Bychkova
David and Nadiya did the Quickstep to 'From Now On' by Hugh Jackman.
Dev Griffin and Dianne Buswell
Dev and Dianne did the Cha Cha to 'Dancing With a Stranger' by Sam Smith featuring Normani.
Karim Zeroual and Amy Dowden
Karim and Amy performed the Tango to 'Paradise' by George Ezra.
Kelvin Fletcher and Oti Mabuse
Kelvin and Oti danced the Rumba to 'Ain't No Sunshine' by Bill Withers.
Mike Bushell and Katya Jones
Mike and Katya performed a Quickstep to 'Come on Eileen' by Dexys Midnight Runners.
Will Bayley and Janette Manrara
Will and Janette did a Foxtrot to 'Señorita' By Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello.
Week 3
Kelvin Fletcher and Oti Mabuse
Early favourites Kelvin and Oti performed the Charleston to 'Trip A Little Light Fantastic' by Lin-Manuel Miranda from Mary Poppins Returns.
Alex Scott and Neil Jones
Alex and Neil danced the Rumba to 'How Far I'll Go' from Disney film Moana.
Catherine Tyldesley and Johannes Radebe
Catherine and her partner Johannes took on a Rumba to Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's track 'Shallow', from the movie A Star Is Born.
Anneka Rice and Kevin Clifton
After the previous week's Waltz, Anneka and Kevin danced the Charleston to 'Woo Hoo' by The 5678's from the movie Kill Bill.
David James and Nadiya Bychkova
After narrowly escaping the boot the previous weekend, David and Nadiya danced the Viennese Waltz to 'Kiss From A Rose' by Seal from the movie Batman Forever.
Saffron Barker and AJ Pritchard
Saffron and AJ took on the Paso Doble to 'Everybody Wants To Rule The World' by Lorde from The Hunger Games.
Emma Barton and Anton Du Beke
Emma and Anton danced a Salsa to 'Soul Bossa Nova' by Quincy Jones from Austin Powers.
Chris Ramsey and Karen Hauer
Chris and Karen took on the American Smooth to 'Cheek To Cheek' by Frank Sinatra. The song is from the movie Top Hat.
Michelle Visage and Giovanni Pernice
Michelle and Giovanni performed a Quickstep to 'Cabaret' by Liza Minelli from Cabaret.
Karim Zeroual and Amy Dowden
Karim and Amy performed the Samba to 'Kung Fu Fighting' from Kung Fu Panda.
Dev Griffin and Dianne Buswell
Dev and Dianne danced to 'Friend Like Me' by Will Smith from Aladdin.
Emma Weymouth and Aljaž Škorjanec
Emma and Aljaž performed the Foxtrot to 'Downtown Abbey' from the new Downtown Abbey movie.
Mike Bushell and Katya Jones:
Mike has brought the fun factor so far, and he took on the Cha Cha to 'It's Raining Men' from Magic Mike.
Will Bayley and Janette Manrara
Perhaps the one we were most excited to see! Will and his partner Janette performed the Paso Doble to 'Gotta Catch 'Em All' from Pokémon!
Week Two
Anneka Rice and Kevin Clifton
Anneka and her partner Kevin performed a Waltz to 'Run to You' by Whitney Houston.
Alex Scott and Neil Jones
Alex and Neil danced a Cha Cha to 'What I Did For Love' by David Guetta and Emeli Sande.
Catherine Tyldesley and Johannes Radebe
Former Corrie actress Catherine performed a Samba to 'Let the Groove Get In' by Justin Timberlake.
Emma Barton and Anton Du Beke
Emma and Anton danced the Foxtrot to 'Sunshine of Your Love' by Ella Fitzgerald, Ernie Heckscher Big Band and Tommy Flanagan.
Emma Weymouth and Aljaž Škorjanec
Emma and Aljaž danced a Tango to 'Sucker' by The Jonas Brothers.
Michelle Visage and Giovanni Pernice
It was a Viennese Waltz for Michelle and Giovanni! The pair performed the dance to 'That's Amore' by Dean Martin.
Saffron Barker and AJ Pritchard
Safron and AJ performed the Cha Cha to 'One Touch' by Jess Glynne.
Chris Ramsey and Karen Hauer
Chris and Karen danced the Charleston to 'Out of Our Heads' by Take That.
David James and Nadiya Bychkova
Former England goalkeeper David and his partner Nadiya performed the Paso Doble to 'España cañí'.
Dev Griffin and Dianne Buswell
Dev and Dianne performed a Jive to Olly Murs' hit track 'Dance With Me Tonight'.
James Cracknell and Luba Mushtuk
After the previous week's performance, James and Luba took on a Jive to 'Tutti Frutti' by Little Richard.
Karim Zeroual and Amy Dowden
CBBC presenter Karim and his partner Amy performed a Foxtrot to 'The Way You Look Tonight' by Frank Sinatra.
Kelvin Fletcher and Oti Mabuse
After topping the leaderboard in the previous week, Kelvin and Oti performed a Waltz to 'What the World Needs Now' by Burt Bacharach.
Mike Bushell and Katya Jones:
Mike and Katya performed an American Smooth to 'Rhinestone Cowboy' by Glen Campbell.
Will Bayley and Janette Manrara
Will and Janette tackled the Salsa to '1-2-3' by Gloria Estefan.
Week One
Anneka Rice and Kevin Clifton
Anneka and Kevin's first dance was the Cha Cha to Laura Branigan's 'Gloria'.
Alex Scott and Neil Jones
Former footballer Alex danced the Quickstep with her partner Neil. The pair performed to 'I Get a Kick Out of You' by Frank Sinatra.
Catherine Tyldesley and Johannes Radebe
Former Corrie actress Catherine showed off her skills whilst dancing the Viennese Waltz to 'I Got You Babe' by Sonny and Cher.
David James and Nadiya Bychkova
David and his pro partner Nadiya danced the Fox Trot to 'Three Lions' by Baddiel, Skinner and the Lightning Seeds.
Chris Ramsey and Karen Hauer
Comedian Chris performed a Cha Cha with his partner Karen. The pair danced to 'Juice' by Lizzo.
Dev Griffin and Dianne Buswell
Dev and Dianne danced the Foxtrot to 'Build Me Up Buttercup' by The Foundations.
Emma Weymouth and Aljaž Škorjanec
Emma also danced the Cha Cha with Aljaž. The pair danced to 'She's a Lady' by Tom Jones.
Emma Barton and Anton Du Beke
EastEnders actress Emma Barton paid tribute to her character on the soap.... Performing a Jive to 'Honey Honey' by ABBA.
James Cracknell and Luba Mushtuk
James and his partner Luba danced the Tango to 'Gold' by Spandau Ballet.
Karim Zeroual and Amy Dowden
Shawn Mendes' 'If I Can't Have You' was the song choice by Karim and Amy! The pair danced a Cha Cha.
Kelvin Fletcher and Oti Mabuse
Following Jamie Laing's injury, Emmerdale actor Kelvin stepped in and his first dance with Oti was a Samba to 'La Vida Es Un Carnaval' by Celia Cruz.
Michelle Visage and Giovanni Pernice
Michelle and Giovanni showed off their moves in a Cha Cha to 'So Emotional' by Whitney Houston.
Mike Bushell and Katya Jones:
Mike and Katya performed a Jive to 'Do You Love Me' by The Contours.
Saffron Barker and AJ Pritchard
YouTuber Saffron and her partner AJ attempted to impress the audience as she danced the Tango to 'Lips Are Moving' by Meghan Trainor.
Will Bayley and Janette Manrara
Will and Janette performed the Quickstep to 'Pencil Full of Lead' by Paulo Nutini.
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