Ashley Roberts was hit with criticism over her previous dance experience, with some claiming it gave her an unfair advantage on Strictly Come Dancing.
And the singer, 36, has hit back at the haters once again on Monday, as she admitted that her dance background is unlikely to factor into the BBC show.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline at the show’s launch she said: ‘Dance experience? I mean if there’s booty popping in ballroom maybe that will, but I don’t think there is.’
Strictly Come Dancing launch EXCLUSIVE: Ashley Roberts hit back at critics as she said ‘booty popping’ won’t give her an unfair advantage on Monday night
She added: ‘It’ll feel very foreign to my body, because I’m used to a little bit of like booty popping with the dolls!’
Filled with joy at the show launch she said: ‘I’m super excited! Even just putting this on you’re like ah! It’s all coming to life.‘
They are all fantastic and so nice and so whoever I get partnered with I know we’ll have a good time! I’m excited to learn a bit of the Latin style. I just feel like they’re quite sassy and fun. I’m really excited to learn all of it’
On learning the gruelling dance routines, she said: ‘We just started [training] my body was like woah! I haven’t felt like this in a long time!’
‘I’m really anxious to just get in there and dive in and learn some salsa!’ I’m nervous like I have butterflies in my tummy because I’m like oh my god, I’m learning something new but that’s kind of the excitement of learning it as well.’
Not the same: Speaking exclusively told MailOnline, she said: ‘Dance experience? I mean if there’s booty popping in ballroom maybe that will, but I don’t think there is’
The Pussycat Dolls star was revealed as a contestant earlier this month, but fans were quick to point out that her days in the band and judging role on Dancing On Ice gave her an unfair advantage.
Appearing on Chris Evans’ Radio 2 breakfast show hours after the signing, Ashley hit back at the criticism, saying: ‘The Latin and Ballroom world is foreign to me.’
Excited: Despite the controversy, Ashley isn’t letting the criticism get the better of her as she admitted ‘I’m super excited! Even just putting this on you’re like AH! It’s all coming to life’
Despite the controversy, Ashley was clearly not letting the criticism get the better of her as she admitted to MailOnline at the launch: ‘I’m super excited! Even just putting this on you’re like AH! It’s all coming to life.’
She continued: ‘I’m excited to learn a bit of the Latin style. I just feel like they’re quite sassy and fun. I’m really excited to learn all of it.’
While Ashley seems keen to get on the dance floor, she wasn’t sure who would make the best dance partner for her as she admitted: ‘They are all fantastic and so nice and so whoever I get partnered with I know we’ll have a good time!’
Experience: She added: ‘It’ll feel very foreign to my body, because I’m used to a little bit of like booty popping with the dolls!’
Discussing the rehearsals, she added: ‘We just started [training] my body was like woah! I haven’t felt like this in a long time!
‘I’m really anxious to just get in there and dive in and learn some salsa.
‘I’m nervous like I have butterflies in my tummy because I’m like OMG I’m learning something new but that’s kind of the excitement of learning it as well.’
STRICTLY COME DANCING 2018: THE FULL LINE-UP
The [Kim] joy of baking: Kim-Joy has an ‘open’ approach to cakes
Susannah Constantine
Age: 56
Occupation: Fashion TV star
Claim to fame: Susannah dated Princess Margaret’s son, David Linley and is known for starring in What Not To Wear with Trinny Woodall, where they lauded Spanx
Boozy bakes: Londoner Ruby is partial to a Chambord Ganache
Charles Venn
Age: 45
Occupation: EastEnders actor
Claim to fame: The handsome hunk has most famously starred as Ray Dixon in EastEnders, but has also starred in Casualty and Footballers’ Wives
Flamboyant or flambé? Karen is looking to ‘have some fun’
Lauren Steadman
Age: 25
Occupation: Paralympic silver medallist
Claim to fame: British Paralympic athlete is a double World Champion Paratriathlete and six-time European Champion, who was born missing her lower right arm
Blood, sweat and tears: Jon is a medical courier for a living
Lee Ryan
Age: 35
Occupation: Blue singer and former CBB star
Claim to fame: Lee is a member of boy band Blue who sold over 14million records worldwide. He’s also starred in various pantomimes
Mother knows best: Imelda learned to bake from her Irish mother
Seann Walsh
Age: 32
Occupation: Comedian
Claim to fame: Seann is one of the UK’s most beloved comedians, and along with touring the country is a regular on shows Virtually Famous and Play To The Whistle.
Paul Bollywood? Antony’s Indian father taught him how to bake
Kate Silverton
Age: 48
Occupation: News broadcaster
Claim to fame: Kate has been a fixture of BBC’s news presenting team for many years. She has also hosted programmes Panorama, Big Cat Live and My Family at War
Getting technical: Terry is a self-confessed ‘edgy’ baker
Ashley Roberts
Age: 36
Occupation: Former Pussycat Dolls singer
Claim to fame: Ashley soared to fame in the modern Burlesque group and dance troupe Pussycat Dolls. She left the group in 2010 and became a judge on Dancing On Ice
Party boy: Luke is trading his decks for a different type of mixer
Dr Ranj Singh
Age: 38
Occupation: This Morning’s resident doctor
Claim to fame: Dr Ranj has garnered fame from his presenting on CBeebies’ shows Get Well Soon and Bedtime Stories, as well as being a regular on ITV’s This Morning
Man of science: Rahul has an East-meets-West flair for baking
Vick Hope
Age:28
Occupation: DJ
Claim to fame: Vick has garnered fame in her turn as a DJ on Capital FM opposite Roman Kemp on the weekday breakfast show from 6AM
Danny John-Jules
Age: 57
Occupation: Actor
Claim to fame: Danny has played Cat in the sci-fi cult series Red Dwarf since 1988. He also played hero Lenny Bicknall in the CBBC spy series M.I. High.
Katie Piper
Age: 34
Occupation: TV star
Claim to fame: Katie rose to prominence after she was the victim of a horrific acid attack in 2008. She went onto front the documentary Katie: My Beautiful Face as well as several other series.
Self-taught: Briony credits YouTube for her skills in the kitchen
Stacey Dooley
Age: 31
Occupation: Documentary maker
Claim to fame: Stacey has presented investigative documentaries for the BBC, including the award-winning Stacey Dooley on The Frontline: Gun Girls and ISIS in 2016.
Bringing the boulangerie: Manon draws upon her French heritage
Graeme Swann
Age: 39
Occupation: Former cricketer
Claim to fame: Graeme is one of England’s greatest ever cricket stars, playing for the national team from 2008-13. He was also part of the historic winning 2009 Ashes team.
Growing up: Dan has honed his baking skills as a stay-at-home dad
Joe Sugg
Age: 26
Occupation: YouTube star
Claim to fame: One of Britain’s most popular YouTube stars, with over 8m subscribers to his channel and 5.5 million Twitter followers. He is the brother of web guru Zoella.
Faye Tozer
Age: 42
Occupation: Steps singer
Claim to fame: Faye was one of the stars of legendary 90s band Steps from 1997 to 2001. The group reunited in 2017 for an anniversary tour, with their comeback album