The story of a star in an unreasonably priced car

Strictly Come Dancing's James Jordan was reportedly miffed when VIP Auto Sales downgraded him from A-lister to B-lister – and charged him more for a Mercedes. But according to the dealer, it's nothing personal

James Jordan dances with Denise Van Outen on Strictly Come Dancing in 2012. Photograph: Guy Levy/BBC/PA

As two of the professionals on Strictly Come Dancing, James and Ola Jordan are used to the perks of celebrity. Palling around with Bruce Forsyth, watching Lisa Riley get spraytanned out by the bins – it's a level of luxury far beyond the comprehension of most mortals.

But their celebrity has just taken a dent, thanks to VIP Auto Sales.According to reports, the company – which offers discounted rates on high-class cars to public figures – initially told James Jordan that he was an A-lister, qualifying him for a rate of £130 a month for a new Mercedes SLK roadster. However, he was then downgraded to B-lister status, which meant he had to pay £490. Worse, he'd have to live his life knowing that he was probably only as famous as a first-division footballer or a lesser-known member of Blazin' Squad.

VIP Auto Sales director and self-confessed "celebrity superstar car dealer" Richie McMullen, audibly still annoyed at James Jordan's reaction to his demotion (Jordan reportedly wants his deposit back), claims that the company isn't directly responsible for working out how famous people are. It simply compiles a profile of their clients, "based on Wikipedia and social media reach" and presents it to the VIP departments of each car manufacturer, who make the final decision.

That said, the company's celebrity status criteria seem logical enough. Level one celebrities – A-listers by any other name – are people such as Adele or One Direction. "I deal with all the Premier League stars, all the big stars," McMullen says. "You name it, they've called my phone. Dappy, Fazer, everyone. But if you wear tight pants and dance around like a girl, you can't get type one VIP level."

Not that James Jordan should necessarily feel too put out. According to McMullen, Anthony Agogo – an Olympic bronze medal-winning boxer – also classifies as a B-lister. There's a C-list, too, although McMullen doesn't name names. And me? I write tiny articles in G2 sometimes and I'm on Twitter. Where do I rank? "I can build a profile and see what we can do for you," McMullen says. "I've got a good deal on a Mercedes Benz A Class. Make sure you make James look stupid and we'll give you a good deal on a car."

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