Strictly judge Len Goodman has reportedly ordered show producers to rein in dancer James Jordan after the pair repeatedly clashed on Saturday night.
At one stage Goodman, livid at Jordan's backchat during the show — snapped, telling him: "All you have to do is turn up, keep up and shut up."
Tension had been building between the feisty dancer and the judges after previous run-ins, but it finally exploded on Saturday night.
When Craig Revel Horwood described James's partner, The One Show presenter Alex Jones, as "sexless, cold and stiff", the 33-year-old dancer pointed out that the public seemed to love them.
Goodman retorted: "We are here and we spend a lifetime watching and teaching and judging dancing. Our criteria are different to the public's."
When Goodman later said that Brendan Cole and his partner Lulu were "repetitious", lippy Jordan shouted out: "Whatever."
Insiders told The Sun newspaper that Goodman was storming around backstage after the show "in the most foul mood".
One source revealed to the paper: "He is normally quite placid. It takes a lot to get him riled but the James situation just really got to him. It has been building for some time and Len feels it is a lack of respect.
"A couple of the other professional dancers told James to calm down, warning they were all going to suffer if it carried on."
In fact, head judge Goodman was so angry after clashing with Jordan that he was tougher than he meant to be on some of the other couples — and apologised to them later.
The pair did speak backstage and patched up their differences however insiders fear there could be tension again on next week's show.
