Gavin & Stacey star Melanie Walters was the second celebrity eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing, after losing a dance-off against footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips.
The 64-year-old, who played Gwen West on the hit sitcom, was second from bottom on the leaderboard after she and pro dancer Aljaz Skorjanec received only 17 points for her Charleston to Gina G's Ooh Ah... Just a Little Bit. She was one slot above Shaun and Alexis Warr, who got 15 points for his Quickstep to I'm A Believer by the Monkees.
Both danced the same routines for the dance off, leaving the judges split on who to send home. Craig Revel Horwood and Shirley Ballas both thought Shaun had performed better, but Motsi Mabuse voted to keep Melanie. Anton du Beke had been given the deciding vote and chose to keep Shaun.
Leaderboard close despite top score
Fans had expected Melanie and Shaun to be in the dance off after both were at the bottom of the leaderboard, especially given that the top dancer of the night, Delta Goodrem, had scored 33, earning more than double what Shaun did. But despite the difference in points, the leaderboard was condensed because many couples shared the same score. As such, Shaun was only ninth from the top, rather than 14th.
Viewers react to elimination
Still, many viewers were heartbroken to see Melanie go. One said: "Firstly, I feel terrible for Melanie because she's such a lovely lady and I love her partnership with Aljaz. She warms my heart every time I watch her dance, and she's exactly what the show is all about. Unfortunately, this wasn't a good Charleston from Melanie and Aljaz, which is a shame as I've been rooting for her since the start of the competition."
Another said: "I understand the result, but I wish that couple had one more week." And a third added that they thought Shaun wouldn't be far behind: "Shaun and Melanie were of a similar level dance wise imo so not a controversial dumping, I find Shaun more entertaining so happy enough for him to have another week but I suspect he’ll be gone next week unless the judges massively overscore him ala his salsa last week".
First elimination last week
Last week saw the first elimination, with Chris Appleton and Amy Dowden going home. Celebrity stylist Chris got emotional after the decision was made, as did Amy.
He said, post-elimination: "I think it’s been such a whirlwind of emotion. I’m 43 and I got good at doing what I did – which is hair. To come and do something like this, I felt so out of my comfort zone and saw myself in a way I never saw myself, and it challenged me in ways I never knew I could be challenged.
"I am very grateful for everyone who has been involved. It’s been so amazing to be part of something that I grew up watching and got to be a part of it.
"The most important thing I think I will take from this show is having a friend in Amy because I genuinely love her and I am so grateful I met someone who has so much heart and passion. I only wish I could have done better for her because she deserves to go further in the competition, but we did put everything into it."
