EastEnders star Lacey Turner has been flooded with praise after her debut Strictly Come Dancing routine. Best known for portraying Stacey Slater on the BBC soap since 2004, Lacey has traded Walford for the Strictly dance floor as this year's competition launched on Saturday evening (September 26). The mum-of-three delivered a "magnificent" cha-cha-cha to Whitney Houston's hit 'How Will I Know?' and earned this series' inaugural standing ovation.
Radiant Performance Wows Judges
Lacey, 38, looked absolutely radiant as she moved with confidence alongside her professional partner, Vito Coppola, wearing a dazzling pink ensemble. The studio audience jumped to their feet as she concluded her routine and appeared to captivate everyone in the BBC venue, including all four judges.
Shirley Ballas, who also rose to applaud the actress, praised Lacey's dancing as "magnificent" and complimented her "beautiful walk", reports Wales Online. Anton Du Beke declared it his "favourite dance of the night so far", while Craig Revel Horwood highlighted a minor error in Lacey's turn before stating, "I have to say beautiful straight legs, timing was great, and the very, very clean and strong performance."
Sister's Emotional Tribute
Motsi hailed the routine as the "surprise of the night," with the judging panel awarding her 27 points. Lacey's devoted husband, Matt Kay, was spotted grinning and applauding enthusiastically from the audience as Lacey performed flawlessly.
Off the dance floor, Lacey's younger sister, Lily Harvey, posted a heartfelt message on social media. Taking to Instagram Story on Sunday (September 27), Lily posted a clip showing her reaction to Lacey's performance. She appears visibly emotional as she watches Lacey dance, gazing with tears welling in her eyes while placing one hand over her heart. Lily wrote alongside the post: "Watching your sister on Strictly for the first time is so surreal," before adding: "Beyond proud."
A Family Affair on EastEnders
Sharing the touching video to her own Instagram Story, Lacey responded: "Big sister is here to show you that you can do anything you want if you give it a go. Love you always."
Lily has also appeared in EastEnders as Shenice Quinn, the daughter of Kat Moon's unreliable mate, Martine. She initially featured in 2011 before being reintroduced as a regular cast member later that year. Shenice eventually moved in with Kat and Alfie and began to settle into her new life in Walford. Nevertheless, she departed for Spain with her mother in August 2012, with Kat confirming the youngster wouldn't be coming back. More recently, Lily featured as Freya in the film Finding My Voice (2025) and For the Love of Murder (2026).
Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturday at 6:15pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
