Strictly Come Dancing's Lacey Turner could be on a slippery slope as the contest intensifies, with a body language expert warning that the "chemistry" between her and professional partner Vito Coppola looked "dire".
On Saturday evening (October 17), the remaining 13 celebrities and their professional partners will aim to shine on the dance floor, following Melanie Walters and Aljaž Škorjanec, the second contestant to be eliminated. The upcoming live show will see the couples dazzle for Icons Week, with Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe, and Johannes Radebe resuming their roles as presenters.
Samba performance and judge feedback
During last week's Strictly live show, Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola kicked off proceedings with a Samba to "Bamboléo" by the Gipsy Kings, securing 26 points and landing seventh place on the leaderboard. Despite appearing anxious about opening the show, the judges were taken aback by the couple's Samba. Judge Motsi Mabuse encouraged Lacey to have more faith in herself, while Shirley Ballas described the routine as "spectacular".
Backing Lacey, Vito told her, "I challenge you, but I will always make sure you achieve the goal. I wish you could see yourself from the outside and see how amazing you are doing."
Expert analysis of body language
The EastEnders icon, who portrays Stacey Slater on the BBC soap, is a favourite to clinch the Glitterball trophy this year. However, body language expert Judi James revealed that Lacey possesses dancing ability and connects well with viewers, but she needs to gel as a partnership with professional dancer Vito, according to Paddy Power.
Judi said: "The body language 'chemistry' between her and Vito on Saturday night looked worrying to the point of dire. Lacey clearly lacks inner confidence, and her self-esteem as a dancer requires massive amounts of shoring up and underpinning. She dances beautifully, but there are clear signals of moments of anxiety and hesitation or even panic as she allows an arm or her smile to drop mid-routine, suggesting that, instead of being lost in the moment, her brain suddenly 'future panics', worrying what comes next."
"Her facial expressions after her dance show many denial gestures and she starts to look down and stand in self-protective poses like the 'fig leaf' or even trying to fold her arms at one point."
Potential winner but needs teamwork
The specialist continued: "Lacey is a potential winner of this show as her blend of personality and techniques should power her through to the end. But they can only do it together, and they need to work up some form of 'team' empathy rather than 'big character' Vito and 'nervous-looking' Lacey."
Strictly Come Dancing is next on TV on Saturday, 17 October 2026 at 6:15 pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
