Alex Kingston has become the tenth celebrity to be voted off Strictly Come Dancing 2025, following a tense dance-off that the judges described as "difficult".
The actor, best known for roles in ER and Doctor Who, saw her journey end on Sunday 30 November after an injury hampered her performance during the Cha-cha-cha.
The Decisive Dance-Off
Kingston found herself in the bottom two against EastEnders actor Balvinder Sopal, who has now narrowly survived the dance-off a remarkable five times this series. This week, the decision rested with head judge Shirley Ballas, who ultimately chose to save Sopal.
While judges Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse agreed with Ballas, calling the choice a tough one, Anton du Beke was the sole voice in favour of saving Kingston from elimination.
Reflecting on her time on the show, Kingston told host Tess Daly: "I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I would last this long." She added, "It's been just the most incredible journey for me. I feel quite proud of myself because I've loved the process, you can tell by my smile."
A Partnership to Remember
Kingston paid a heartfelt tribute to her professional partner, Johannes Radebe, calling him a "friend for life". Radebe reciprocated the sentiment, stating he had never "grinned as much" as he had in recent weeks.
"Thank you for being a trooper," Radebe said. "I will hold on to the memories. As far as the dancing goes, I think we've achieved what we wanted to achieve."
Kingston's departure means she will miss the highly-anticipated Musicals Week, which serves as the quarter-final for the 2025 series.
Who's Left in the Competition?
The remaining celebrities battling for a place in the penultimate episode are:
- Balvinder Sopal (EastEnders)
- Karen Carney (Lioness)
- George Clarke (YouTuber)
- Lewis Cope (Emmerdale)
- Amber Davies (Actor)
The competition remains fierce, with both Carney and Davies receiving perfect scores of 40 for their latest performances. Lewis Cope also made history by being the first contestant to receive four 10s during the special Blackpool episode.
The BBC has announced a new "high-stakes dance challenge" for the upcoming shows, following the success of this week's Instant Dance challenge where couples improvised a 40-second routine.
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One on Saturday 6 December at 6.50pm.
