Debbie McGee inadvertently revealed the result of Saturday's Strictly Come Dancing elimination during her Sunday morning radio show on BBC Berkshire. Speaking before the official broadcast, she expressed sadness over the departure of Reverend Richard Coles, the second celebrity to leave the competition.
Realising her mistake, McGee attempted to cover it up by recounting an anecdote about Coles falling over during rehearsals. She added, “Now we’re waiting to see what’s going to happen in the results show tonight,” but the damage was already done.
The result show is typically recorded after the live Saturday episode and aired on Sunday. McGee and her partner Giovanni Pernice had performed the American Smooth during Movie Week, scoring 29 points after topping the leaderboard the previous week.
Coles, who danced the Paso Doble with Dianne Buswell, lost the dance-off to Simon Rimmer and Karen Clifton. Despite his exit, the 55-year-old former pop star said his time on the show “had been a joy,” adding, “Even when Dianne was hissing through her teeth ‘feet, frame, feet, frame’, it’s been completely joyous.”
The BBC Press Office declined to comment on McGee’s on-air slip. Fans took to social media with tributes, including references to Coles’ 1986 hit with The Communards, “Don’t Leave Me This Way.”
