CRAIG Revel Horwood has said Motsi Mabuse “would be mad” to snub Strictly this year.
It comes after The Sun revealed she signed up to the German version of the hit dance competition which airs at the same time as Strictly.
The judge, 39, is still negotiating her contract with the BBC ahead of Strictly, which begins filming in September.
And the scheduling clash has sparked panic – after Bruno Tonioli missed Strictly last year because he booked himself onto the American show and he wasn’t allowed to travel back and forth due to Covid.
Craig, 56, made it clear that he wouldn’t be impressed if Motsi jumped ship too and chose Germany’s show Let’s Dance over Strictly Come Dancing.
He told ITV’s Lorraine today: “I read that and I think she would be absolutely mad doing Germany over Strictly.
He added: “But as long as you can get here and it’s safe to travel, she’ll be absolutely fine.”
A telly source recently told The Sun on Sunday: “Producers have been pulling their hair out as they struggle to get all of their judges in the right place for the live shows.
“Motsi’s fans in Germany are buying show tickets expecting to see her live.
Pre-Covid it was easy for talent to jet in and out of the UK for the night, but with travel restrictions it’s much harder.
“Producers want to avoid relying too much on video links, especially as they’re paying big money for talent. It’s a real schedule clash.”
In November last year Motsi, the older sister of pro dancer Oti, 30, was absent from the panel for two weeks. At the time an urgent trip back to Germany meant she had to self-isolate for 14 days.
The judges all pocket between £150,000 and £250,000 per year.
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Bruno Tonioli, 65, has also ruled out appearing in person on the series this year as he remains in California for the show’s US version Dancing with the Stars.
Meanwhile, South African-born Motsi is also the star attraction of Germany’s Let’s Dance theatre tour.
Without Motsi on the panel Strictly would just be head judge Shirley Ballas, 60, and Craig, 56, in the studio.