Strictly Star's Quick-Witted Comeback
Balvinder Sopal, the EastEnders actress competing on Strictly Come Dancing, delivered a brilliantly timed retort to the judges following her performance on Saturday, 29th November 2025.
After completing a jive with her professional partner, Julian Caillon, the panel offered their critiques. Judge Anton du Beke pointed out a flaw in her technique, stating, "When you don’t commit to one leg or the other, you get between the feet and you get on the wrong foot...it was a good dance going well, until it didn't."
A Dig at Her Dance-Off Record
In a moment of pure wit, Balvinder immediately hit back with a reference to her frequent appearances in the bottom two. She declared, "I will come back and do it again in the dance off."
Her comment prompted a groan from her dance partner, Julian, but she cheered and raised her arm to the audience, embracing the moment. This marked the fourth time she has faced the dance-off in the competition, though the judges have saved her on each previous occasion.
Fellow judge Craig Revel Horwood acknowledged her resilience, adding that Balvinder is "good at dance-offs, darling."
Viewer Reaction and Behind-the-Scenes Struggles
The moment quickly resonated with viewers on X (formerly Twitter), who praised her unfiltered attitude. One fan wrote, "Bal already joking about the dance-off, god bless our queen," while another said, "Bal really gives 0 f**** now and im here for it."
However, her position in the competition remains precarious. Balvinder ended up second from the bottom of the leaderboard, just ahead of actress Alex Kingston, and is the bookies' favourite to be eliminated.
She revealed to host Claudia Winkleman that a hectic filming schedule for EastEnders had limited her rehearsal time to just one full day during the week. All four judges awarded her jive a score of 7, giving her a total of 28 points.
