Strictly Come Dancing’s ‘super leaker’ today insisted he’s not ‘spoiling anyone’s enjoyment’ – and says he’s ‘providing a service’ by revealing who’s been eliminated before Sunday night’s results show.
David Thorp, 42, has been publishing the identity of the axed pairings on his website Strictly Spoiler every Saturday evening since 2012, much to the frustration of viewers keen to wait for Sunday’s instalment, which is pre-recorded from the night before.
The audience that watches the live broadcast from Elstree Studios are sworn to secrecy and told not to post on social media about who’s been voted out.
But David, who’s married to wife Angie, 31, told MailOnline there’s an ‘appetite’ for viewers to know the result as soon as it’s available – and he blames the BBC for not doing two live shows, to prevent leaks from happening.
‘The BBC is to blame’: Strictly Come Dancing’s ‘super leaker’ insists he’s not ‘spoiling anyone’s enjoyment’ – and is ‘providing a service’ by revealing who’s been eliminated ahead of Sunday night’s results show
‘There is an appetite for it’: David Thorp has been publishing the identity of the axed pairings, including Matt Goss and Nadiya Bychkova, on his website Strictly Spoiler every Saturday evening since 2012
Speaking from outside his semi-detached home worth £70,000 in Preston, Lancashire, that he rents from the housing association, David said: ‘I’m just providing a service and am not spoiling anyone’s enjoyment.
‘I don’t put the results for everyone to see and they have to search for my site to find out the results.
‘There is an appetite from people who want to know the results before Sunday.
‘It could be argued that the BBC is to blame for recording something which is of massive interest the day before.’
Singer Matt Goss, 54, became the third celebrity to be ditched this series after losing out in the dance-off with his partner Nadiya Bychkova, 33, to former soap actress Kym Marsh, 46, and professional Graziano Di Prima, 28.
Loose Women’s Kaye Adams, 59, was the first celebrity given the boot while Richie Anderson, who performed in a same sex partnership with Giovanni Pernice, was the second star sent packing.
Eliminated: Singer Matt Goss became the third celebrity to be ditched this series after losing out in the dance-off with his partner Nadiya Bychkova to Kym Marsh and Graziano Di Prima (pictured on Sunday’s results show)
Bosses have been on the hunt for the mole within their production team that leaks the weekly result to David, who then publishes the name of the evicted couple on his popular website.
The software engineer student insists he doesn’t have one ‘source’ and says he learns the result each week from various audience members.
He explained: ‘I find out the result by audience members there on the night contacting me or from the other strictly spoiler sites around.’
David (pictured today) says someone in the audience sends him the result every week
According to David, his website was viewed 655K times by 390,000 fans last weekend, which is a 20 per cent rise on the engagement on his blog compared to last year.
David has also garnered nearly 60,000 followers on Twitter and over 2,000 on Instagram.
He’s cashing in by revealing the Strictly result each week too, with his website now being used for advertisement and fans that interact with David about the show have a chance of winning a £20 Amazon voucher.
He said: ‘People would contact me, and I would direct message them the results but so many people began asking I had to put it on a website I was operating.
‘It just got bigger and bigger, and I have around 400,000 people viewing the website each week.
‘I send out a link on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and people have to actively click on the link.
‘I don’t just post it for everyone to see. Only the ones who want to know the results earlier go on to it.’
David’s Strictly Spoiler website has sparked a crisis at the BBC, who have been forced to renew their policies in light of the leaks.
Strictly super fan David (with his wife Angie) defending his leaking of the show’s results
Bosses have decided to continue filming the results show on a Saturday night because airing two live programmes instead of one would be costly, as they urge fans to avoid searching for the result online.
A source told The Sun: ‘Some people have said the BBC should consider filming two live shows – one on Saturday and one on Sunday – but doing that would cost huge amounts of money.
‘Others have suggested that the results show should air directly after the main show, but that denies fans the chance of two helpings of their favourite programme over consecutive nights.
‘The lesser of the evils is simply to ignore any online chatter about who is in the dance-off and who has been sent home. Or just ignore social media as much as possible.
‘If they take any more radical action then the spoilsport in question has gained some kind of response to their selfish and mean behaviour.’
Gone: Richie Anderson, who performed in a same sex partnership with Giovanni Pernice, was the second star sent packing after the pair failed to impress with their Hakuna Matata routine
The Strictly audience at Elstree Studios have their phones taken away during filming. Tickets are given to friends and families of those taking part, and to members of the public drawn in a ballot.
But the weekly leak has put pressure on the BBC to revert to broadcasting the results show live on a Sunday, as it was until 2008. The scheduling was changed because the late Bruce Forsyth – then aged 80 – was struggling to host two nights in a row. The current presenters, Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, are 53 and 50.
Last week Twitter was inundated with advance posts that Radio 2’s Richie Anderson had been unexpectedly voted out after losing the dance-off to singer Fleur East.
Comic Jayde Adams burst into tears after her American Smooth to Bette Midler’s Wind Beneath My Wings – a tribute to her sister who died 11 years ago of a brain tumour.
Ms Adams and her sister would dance to the song as children, and she wept when she explained: ‘She said to my mum “Will people forget me?” So it’s so lucky I get to do this.’
Karen Hauer and Jayde Adams are shown together, left, while Hamza Yassin & Jowita Przystal pair off on the right during the live show of Strictly Come Dancing on BBC1
Matt Goss & Nadiya Bychkova during the dress rehearsal of Strictly Come Dancing on BBC1 on the left, with Ellie Simmonds & Nikita Kuzmin on the right
Katya Jones & Tony Adams are shown left, while James Bye and Amy Dowden are pictured right
Footballer Tony Adams dedicated his dance to those who supported him through his addiction problems. He was also ticked off by Claudia Winkleman for swearing.
Cameraman Hamza Yassin got the highest score of the series so far, with three tens for his salsa. Only Craig Revel Horwood gave him a nine.
TV presenter Helen Skelton’s pro partner Gorka Marquez referred to her discovery that her estranged husband Richie Myler is expecting a baby with his girlfriend after he walked out on Miss Skelton.
Marquez said: ‘I know you have been having a difficult time, and I know you’re being made to feel like you’re not beautiful or good enough. But if you don’t believe in yourself, I believe in you, everybody here believes in you.’
Strictly Come Dancing professional dancers are pictured during the results show of Strictly Come Dancing on BBC1
Adam Lambert is pictured during the results of Strictly Come Dancing. The Strictly audience at Elstree Studios have their phones taken away during filming. Tickets are given to friends and families of those taking part, and to members of the public drawn in a ballot
Adam Lambert, Carlos Gu and Nikita Kuzmin are shown during the results. The weekly leak has put pressure on the BBC to revert to broadcasting the results show live on a Sunday, as it was until 2008. The scheduling was changed because the late Bruce Forsyth – then aged 80 – was struggling to host two nights in a row
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