Delta Goodrem is leading the Strictly Come Dancing scoreboard ahead of the first elimination. The Australian singer, 41, has been paired with professional dancer Kai Widdrington, 31, on this season of the BBC series.
After coming second with a score of 29 on last week’s show, they are currently topping the leaderboard during Movies Week. The pair performed an American smooth to I’ll Never Love Again from A Star Is Born, and were awarded 30 points this time around.
Judges praise Goodrem's performance
Judge Motsi Mabuse told Goodrem she had a “special talent to give feeling”. “You’ve got everything it takes. I believe in you,” she said, while head judge Shirley Ballas called her a “force to be reckoned with”. Fellow judges Anton Du Beke and Craig Revel Horwood said they “loved” the performance.
The first performance of the night came from former Love Island winner Dani Dyer and her professional partner Nikita Kuzmin, who performed a foxtrot to Beauty And The Beast from the film of the same name. The pair were awarded a score of 23 from the judges, with Du Beke saying he “loved the attention to detail” and calling it a “joy to watch”.
Nellis drops down the scoreboard
They were followed by social media star John Nellis and Katya Jones – who topped last week’s leaderboard with 31 points. This week they had a couple’s choice to An Irish Party In Third Class from Titanic. Revel Horwood said it was “too heavy-footed” and called the end an “entire tragedy”, the couple were awarded 23 points.
This weekend will see the first public vote and elimination, after no celebrities were sent home following the first live show.
First show results and viewing figures
The first performances of this season – which aired last weekend – saw Nellis top the Strictly leaderboard with Jones as they wowed the judges with a foxtrot to Alex Warren’s Ordinary. The judges gave the routine 31 points, while Goodrem and Widdrington scored 29 points for their samba.
The episode ended in a three-way tie for last place with a score of 15 points. Among them were Gavin And Stacey actress Melanie Walters and Aljaz Skorjanec, who performed a cha cha, ex-footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr, who also performed a cha cha, and Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey and Julian Caillon with their quickstep.
Last weekend the first live show of this season attracted a peak of five million viewers, the BBC said. Over the course of the two-and-a-half-hour programme, an average of 4.8 million viewers tuned in to watch on BBC One as the latest batch of stars performed on the dancefloor with their professional partners live for the first time. It also marked the first live show for new presenters Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe, who took over from Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly.
