Former Team GB sprinter Harry Aikines-Aryeetey has seen his Strictly Come Dancing journey come to an end, becoming the sixth celebrity to be eliminated from the 2025 series.
The Fateful Dance-Off
The 37-year-old athlete, who is also known as Nitro on the revived Gladiators show, found himself in the bottom two during the weekend's results show. He and his professional partner, Karen Hauer, faced a dance-off against La Voix, the popular star from RuPaul's Drag Race UK, and her partner Aljaž Škorjanec.
After both couples performed their routines again, the decision went to the judges. In a unanimous verdict, all four panelists chose to save La Voix, sending Aikines-Aryeetey home from the competition.
An Emotional Farewell
Following the announcement, an emotional Aikines-Aryeetey reflected on his time on the beloved BBC programme. He described the experience as a 'dream come true' and called the show 'a celebration'.
He paid a heartfelt tribute to his professional partner, Karen Hauer, stating: 'You've understood my crazy brain. I just want to thank you so much for the time and effort, the hard work that you've given to me. You show up, you turn out.' He specifically thanked her for giving him 'an opportunity to shine'.
Hauer was equally emotional in her response, telling him: 'I am extremely proud. We've had the best time. You're such a gentleman, you're a hard worker, you listen... I loved you in every kind of way because of the person that you are, and it was an honour to teach you, so thank you so much.'
Other Standout Moments from the Show
While one star left, another breathed a sigh of relief. EastEnders actress Balvinder Sopal, who had previously been in the dance-off three times, managed to sail through to the next round. Her success was thanks to a vibrant Bhangra-inspired Couple’s Choice routine performed to 'Sapphire' by Ed Sheeran and Arijit Singh.
Meanwhile, ER and Doctor Who star Alex Kingston faced a challenging week. After her performance, a tearful Kingston revealed she is 'numerically dyslexic' – a condition known as dyscalculia which affects the understanding of numbers and is thought to impact one in 20 people. She explained that this made performing the paso doble to a lyric-free song particularly 'difficult'.
The judges noted her shaken confidence, with Motsi Mabuse observing it was 'the first time that I’ve felt a little bit of insecurity from you'.
Strictly Come Dancing continues with its next episode on Saturday, 15 November at 6.25pm on BBC One.
