Dame Sarah Storey has become the third celebrity to be eliminated from this season of Strictly Come Dancing.
The Paralympian, 48, was voted off the BBC One dancing competition after she and partner Julian Caillon failed to impress the judges with a tango to That Don’t Impress Me Much by Shania Twain.
The couple placed bottom of the leaderboard during Saturday’s Icons Week episode, having scored 21 for their routine.
Judges' Verdict and Dance-Off
Judge Craig Revel Horwood said they “dropped the ball a little bit” during the dance, while Shirley Ballas praised their “attitude, character and dramatics”, which she called “a very good start”.
House Of The Dragon actress Bethany Antonia and her partner Nancy Xu placed third from the bottom after scoring 27 for their cha cha to Respect by Aretha Franklin but had to dance again after the public vote was added.
After both couples performed in the dance-off, the judges delivered their verdict and chose to send Dame Sarah – Great Britain’s most successful Paralympian with 30 medals, including 19 golds at eight games – home.
Judges Save Antonia
Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke opted to save Antonia, meaning head judge Ballas did not need to use her deciding vote.
The results show also featured a performance from the professional dancers paying tribute to Madonna, reflecting the many different eras of her career.
It also included a routine dedicated to the late Dolly Parton, who died in August at the age of 80 after a brief battle with cancer.
Tributes and Next Week
Country singer Belles, who recorded a duet with Parton earlier this year, sang the hit song Jolene while Amy Dowden and Kai Widdrington danced.
The remaining 12 couples will take to the dancefloor next week, with Australian singer Delta Goodrem set to make a return after receiving a bye this week due to an injury.
Strictly Come Dancing returns at 6.30pm next Saturday on BBC One.
