Strictly Come Dancing's Shirley Ballas did not hold back in her assessment of the first elimination of the series, as judges unanimously saved Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu over Chris Appleton and Amy Dowden.
On Sunday night (October 4), viewers discovered which celebrity would be leaving the competition first. After the public votes were counted, actress Jaime Winstone and celebrity hair stylist Chris Appleton were revealed to be in the bottom two, despite neither being at the bottom of the leaderboard.
Judges' unanimous decision
Jaime scored 21 for her Cha Cha with Carlos Gu, while Chris received a slightly lower score of 17 for his Cha Cha with Amy Dowden. As both pairs took to the dancefloor one final time, the judges were tasked with deciding their fate.
It was a unanimous decision to save Jaime and Carlos, meaning Chris and Amy were eliminated from the competition first. Speaking to the judges after the elimination, Abi Clarke, presenter of Strictly: Lights Up, asked Anton Du Beke if it was an easy decision.
He replied: "It was really. I didn't think there was much in it, I have to be honest with you. I thought that Jaime and Carlos were really strong. Everything that they didn't do on Saturday night, they did in the dance off."
Shirley's brutal remark
As Anton highlighted that Chris looked nervous while Jaime appeared to dance more strongly and powerfully, Shirley Ballas gave her thoughts on the vote. She said: "I didn't think that Jaime and Carlos should have been in the bottom two to start with, so that was a shock and a surprise."
Explaining what Jaime brought in her routine, which impressed the judges, she issued a brutal four-word remark, adding 'there was no comparison' between the two couples.
Heartfelt words from Amy
When it was announced that Amy and Chris were leaving, the professional dancer shared some heartfelt words. She said: "Obviously, I'm heartbroken, this seems to have been my luck the past few years, but you know what, my heart is only breaking because I don't get to dance with you (Chris) on Monday, but I've got a friend for life, and that's what's going to heal my broken heart."
Chris added: "I'm 43 and I got good at doing what I did, which was hair, and to come into something like that, I felt so out of my comfort zone. I saw myself in a way I'd never seen myself and it challenged me in ways I never knew I could be challenged."
Strictly Come Dancing is available to watch Saturday on BBC One from 6:15pm.
