Strictlys Emma Barton says she was forced to film EastEnders Christmas scenes as Craig calls her a sack of potatoes

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STRICTLY’s Emma Barton says she was forced to film EastEnders Christmas scenes this week after Craig Revel Horwood called her a “sack of potatoes” on the dancefloor.

Emma, 42, plays Honey Mitchell in the BBC One soap, and her filming commitments haven’t taken a backseat while she appears on the dance programme.

Strictly’s Emma Barton was told she looked like a sack of potatoes on the dancefloor by judge Craig Revel Horwood

The actress performed a sexy Paso Doble with professional partner Anton Du Beke and blew viewers away – but the judges disagreed.

They have the pair just 26 points (5,7,7,7) as Craig told the dancers: “Now for the truth.

“Emma, you looked like a sack of potatoes out there.”

But the actress explained she’d had fewer hours to practise this week, saying: “I have been filming the EastEnders Christmas special this week. I have had about 12 Christmas dinners.”

Viewers were stunned by Craig’s catty comments and shared their frustration on Twitter.

Partner Anton DuBeke raged at Craig, saying ‘no one agrees with you’ after his nasty comment
Craig was on top form

One person typed: “Thought judges were a little too harsh on Emma and Anton. Their Paso wasnt perfect, but she nailed the character”

Earlier this week Anton revealed that Emma had struggled to rehearse as her busy EastEnders schedule left no time for dancing.

Appearing on This Morning, 53-year-old Anton admitted that he and Emma were only able to start rehearsing Saturday night’s routine yesterday.

Anton appeared on This Morning

Host Phillip Schofield asked: “Shooting for EastEnders is tough, so how much time are you getting?”

The pro dancer replied: “She is doing incredibly well, she is constantly working on EastEnders – she has got a really busy schedule there.

“She’s doing two massive jobs. This week has been a bit of a struggle.

“Emma was filming on Monday and Tuesday, so we only got into the studio yesterday and started together.”

Emma plays Honey in EastEnders
Emma wowed the judges with her waltz on Saturday

Anton added: “I will see her this afternoon and we will be working until late, then before we know it it is going to be show day.

“She hasn’t had a lot of time but she is such a hard worker and such a pro.”

Despite not having as much time to practice as her competitors, Emma wowed judges at the weekend with her waltz to Send In The Clowns.

She and Anton were awarded 35 points out of 40, securing their spot on the leaderboard.

Emma and Anton were only able to start rehearsing this weekend’s dance yesterday
Emma is involved in a big storyline in EastEnders at the moment

Emma made her EastEnders debut in 2005, leaving in 2008 before returning temporarily in 2014.

She made her full-time return in late 2015, and has been involved in high profile storylines ever since.

Earlier this month, fans speculated that Honey could be secretly suffering from an eating disorder after finding out that boyfriend Adam had an affair with Habiba.

The explosive Autumn trailer teased that the cheat scandal will come to a head in the coming weeks, which is no doubt why Emma’s filming schedule is so gruelling.