Furious Strictly Come Dancing fans have threatened to boycott the show after former Emmerdale star Lewis Cope was unexpectedly eliminated in the quarter finals. The 30-year-old actor lost a dance-off to Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin, with the judges unanimously choosing to save Amber. Viewers took to social media to express their outrage, with some vowing to stop watching the BBC programme.
Lewis's professional partner Katya Jones was visibly upset, calling him 'the best male celebrity we've ever had on the show'. Fans echoed her sentiments, with one viewer saying, 'Lewis has been exceptional all the way through. I've enjoyed watching him perform but will switch off from the show now.' Another claimed the result was 'totally fixed' and would not watch any more.
However, some audience members felt the decision was correct, noting that Lewis's salsa to Dance at the Gym from West Side Story was 'not his best' effort and that he had an 'awful song'. The couple had previously scored the first full marks of the series during Halloween week for their Couple's Choice routine to Radiohead's Creep.
Amber Davies, 29, now advances to the semi-finals alongside George Clarke, 26, Balvinder Sopal, 47, and Karen Carney, 38. Lewis reflected on his time on the show, saying, 'It's been more than I could have ever wished for. If someone would have said that I'd have done 11 weeks at the beginning, I'd have been over the moon and snapped their hand off.'
Next week's semi-final will feature performances from Kylie Minogue and Five, airing on BBC1 at 6.35pm on Saturday.
