Alesha will have the last laugh on her critics, says Strictly’s Jo Wood

Jo Wood is backing Strictly Come Dancing judge Alesha Dixon.

Scraped through: Jo Wood

The 30-year-old has been criticised after replacing the experienced Arlene Phillips.

But contestant Jo, 54, told us at the O2X awards in Centre Point last night: "Alesha Dixon is a tough cookie. She doesn't seem upset by all this fuss. If she is, then she doesn't show it. She's always laughing and joking on set and backstage she's a riot. She has a lot of support from the other judges, so she'll be there to the end and prove all her critics wrong."

Jo is not so sure that she'll make it, however. "I gave my family a fright at the weekend," she added. "My grandkids were crying and they thought I would be voted off, but I scraped through."