The excitement for Strictly Come Dancing's quarter-final has been overshadowed by a major spoiler leak, revealing which celebrity has been sent home and leaving their supporters heartbroken.
Shock Elimination Before the Quarter-Final
The results from Saturday night's filming, which are not scheduled to air until Sunday evening, were leaked online hours early. This has confirmed the identity of the celebrity eliminated just before the crucial quarter-final stage. While the specific name is being withheld here to preserve the surprise for some viewers, the online reaction from fans makes their disappointment abundantly clear.
One devastated viewer expressed their shock on X, formerly Twitter, writing: "WOW, MY HEART IS GUTTED........[Redacted] WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A FINALIST." Another echoed the sentiment, commenting, "im gutted to the one who's eliminated," accompanied by a broken heart emoji. A third simply stated, "Nahhh, this is abysmal if true."
Leaderboard Positions and Judgement Night
The leak comes after a highly competitive week for the remaining six celebrities: Amber Davies, Balvinder Sopal, George Clarke, Lewis Cope, Karen Carney, and Alex Kingston. The competition resumed in full force after last week's temporary reprieve, which was caused by La Voix's sudden exit due to injury. Scores from the previous week were combined with this week's totals, and the dreaded dance-off made its return.
Bookmakers had previously tipped EastEnders actress Balvinder Sopal as the most likely to be eliminated. She and her professional partner, Julian Caillon, found themselves in the dance-off for a fourth time. Despite this, the judges had consistently saved them in the past. After Saturday's performances, the pair were second from the bottom on the leaderboard with a combined score of 66, having earned 28 points for their latest routine.
At the very bottom of the leaderboard were ER and Doctor Who star Alex Kingston and her partner Johannes Radebe. They scored a combined total of 61, with just 23 points awarded for their Cha Cha. Alex had candidly admitted after her performance that she was 'really struggling' physically.
Top of the Leaderboard
In contrast, the night belonged to Lewis Cope and Katya Jones, who were crowned the Instant Dance champions. Their skillful rumba to “Falling” by Harry Styles earned them 36 points, giving them a top-seated combined total of 82.
Hot on their heels were two couples who achieved perfection in their main routines. Both Karen Carney and Carlos Gu and Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin received perfect scores of 40. However, they lost ground in the Instant Dance round, leaving them both with a combined total of 80 points.
The official results show will air on Sunday, but for many, the outcome is already a disappointing reality.
