Strictly Come Dancing fans were left in tears as the first celebrity was sent packing after Movie Week. Celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton was emotional after he was cut from the hit BBC competition, losing in a dance off against Jaime Winstone.
Chris Appleton's Emotional Exit
The stylist, 43, who has worked with the likes of Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez, was near the bottom of the leaderboard with a score of 33 after two weeks of dancing. It was the end of the road for Chris and his pro partner Amy Dowden, who were tearful at the decision.
They performed their Cha Cha to I'll Be Ready from Baywatch, before Jaime and Carlos Gu performed their Cha Cha to Oh, Pretty Woman from Pretty Woman. Jaime was unanimously saved by the judges and lives to dance another day.
Fans React on Social Media
Viewers took to X to express their disappointment. One said: "i so wish amy and chris' partnership could've lasted longer :( , a partnership i wanted from the very beginning." Another added: "SO sad to see Chris and Amy go. I don't think they deserved to this week. Imo it should've been Melanie and Aljaz. But the public vote how they want to. And honestly I do still think Chris would've done MUCH better in a same sex partnership, but it was his choice. #Strictly."
A third fan wrote: "God I can feel myself crying for Chris and Amy. It's so unfair." It's the second time in successive series that Amy has been dumped at the first hurdle. She also got the boot alongside The Apprentice's Thomas Skinner in 2025.
Chris's Emotional Farewell
Chris said he had felt a "whirlwind of emotion" and said: "I'm 43 and got good at doing what I did which is hair. So to come into something like this, I felt so out my comfort zone. I saw myself in a way I'd never seen myself and challenged myself in ays I never knew I'd be challenged. But I'm very grateful for everyone who's been involved."
He said having a friend in Amy is something he is thrilled with, before saying he wished he could have helped her go further. The professional dancer added she is "heartbroken" but her heart is only breaking because she doesn't get to dance with Chris any more.
Fans Shocked by Melanie and Aljaz
Fans were shocked after Melanie and Aljaz avoided the dreaded dance off despite being rock bottom of the judges' leaderboard. One user said: "melanie must have got more votes than loads of people to get through over jaime who was much higher on the leaderboard #Strictly."
The show was a huge success with fans tuning in too. A Strictly spokesperson said: "Strictly's movie week was the most watched programme of the night, with a peak of 5.6 million viewers. As ever, overnight ratings do not give the full picture of all those who watch in an on-demand world."
