On Alesha Dixon Joining Strictly Panel of Judges

Is She the BBC Show's Answer to X-Factor's Cheryl Cole?

Aug 31, 2009

Her appointment to Strictly Come Dancing to replace Arlene Phillips as judge sparked an ageism row. Is Alesha Dixon the BBC's answer to the X-Factor's Cheryl Cole?

The BBC show Strictly Come Dancing shared Saturday night television viewing audiences comfortably with the X-Factor on ITV. However, in the 2008 final the X-Factor trumped Strictly by more than one million viewers. Cheryl Cole may have been partly responsible.

Talent, Beauty and Youth

Cheryl Cole brought talent, beauty and youth to the judging panel.She is a member of 'Girls Aloud,' a pop quintet that has scored four number one singles on the UK singles charts. They won a Brit Award this year.

Cheryl Cole has attracted a legion of young fans for the X-Factor. Louish Walsh recently told woman magazine that Cheryl was 'the most on the money judge when it comes to contemporary music."

It might be a coincidence but appropriate that Strictly bosses looked for a young, beautiful and talented woman to replace the only female on the judging panel.Arlene is 66 years old, considered a relic as far as a career in television for a woman goes. While there is a public outcry about ageism, sexism may be the real issue here, otherwise Bruce Forsyth would have been axed ages ago.

Alesha Dixon is 30 years old and a match for Cheryl in other aspects essential to show business appeal. She was a member of 'Mis-Teeq,' who won a Brit, before she found success as a solo artist with the release of her album 'The Alesha Show', which spawned two top five hits on the UK singles chart. Her beauty is self evident.

Glamour and Fashion

Cheryl Cole breathed new life into the X-Factor and added glamour and impeccable fashion taste. She was named Britain's Best Dressed Woman by Tatler. She has appeared on the covers of FHM and Vogue, and capped it all by being named FHM's sexiest woman for 2009.

Alesha Dixon is no stranger to fashion either. She is a model and has graced the covers of many magazines including Another, Arena, Bliss, Company, Cosmopolitan and FHM. Alesha Dixon has appeared in FHM's 100 sexiest women of the world polls. In 2008 she was voted Britain's sexiest legs ahead of Cheryl Cole. Both stars climbed Mount Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief earlier this year.

Reality Television Stars

Cheryl brought a unique experience to the X-Factor judging panel. For the first time in the history of the show someone whose career was launched in the full glare of television cameras became a judge. Her sympathy for the contestants flowed in tears that endeared her to the nation.

Her public profile, career success and status as a judge speaks to fellow judges, contestants and the public at different levels.

It's unbelievable that only seven years ago Cheryl Cole was a contestant on Popstars : The Rivals. Her rise and rise validates the view that there is a career, fame and fortune after winning a television talent show. She gives Simon Cowell the encouragement he hardly needs. He can take pride in the fact that a television programme completely overhauled Cheryl's life. From dreaming of success she has become a national treasure.

Strictly may have been compelled to answer back. Alesha Dixon won the dancing show in 2007, a feat in reality television terms because females generally don’t register easy wins no matter how much better they are compared to men.

Alesha Dixon released her album at the back of her Strictly success. The show gave her the platform to relaunch her career, as it were. Strictly does not aim to create showbiz careers for nonenties from scratch but may help the prospects of lapsed celebrities or even help find new direction for those who have retired from one or other high profile occupation, as this year’s line up shows.

Celebrity contestants looking at Alesha Dixon have reason to hope for similar experiences for themselves.

Cheryl shed tears during the show last year ostensibly because she understood what the contestants were going through. However, the celebrities on Strictly are hardened professionals and mostly older than the contestants on the X-Factor. Just as well because Alesha Dixon is unlikely to shed any tears. After all, 'ladies take it in and get composure,' if the lyrics of her song Breath Slow are to be believed.

The media and entertainment industry loves female rivalry. Last year they pitted Cheryl against her female co-judge Danii Minogue. On Britain's Got Talent they gave the impression that World War Three had broken out between Amanda Holden and short lived judge Kelly Brooke.

It remains to be seen if the media will create any rivalry, real or imagined, between the glamorous young women who now front two of the biggest competing shows on British television.

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