Strictly Come Dancing viewers have cast their votes on who should have been the first celebrity eliminated, with Melanie Walters emerging as the top choice in an Express poll.
The BBC show returned with Movie Week, and celebrity hairdresser Chris Appleton was sent home after facing actress Jaime Winstone in the dance-off. His partner, Amy Dowden, left the competition for the second consecutive year, prompting disappointment among fans.
Poll results reveal fan favourites
After nearly four days of voting, the poll showed a clear gap between the three celebrities fans most wanted to see leave. Football pundit Shaun Wright-Phillips received 48 votes, while 77 people thought Chris was the right person to go.
However, 124 people believed Melanie Walters, the Gavin & Stacey star, should have been the first out. The 64-year-old Welsh actress, paired with professional dancer Aljaž Škorjanec, performed an emotional Waltz to Edelweiss from The Sound of Music.
Emotional tribute and public support
During her opening VT, Melanie teared up as she shared the film's connection to her late mother, Margaret Walters. "It was my mum's favourite film, it was played in the house. Unfortunately, she got Alzheimer's and that was the one that really got through to her. We played it at her funeral," she said.
The couple scored a total of 30, placing her at the bottom of the leaderboard. Despite this, she was saved by the public vote, proving her popularity with viewers at home. She finished just three points behind Chris, who was eliminated after the judges preferred Jaime's performance.
Viewer reactions on social media
Following the show, viewers took to X, formerly Twitter, to share their thoughts. One said: "Sorry who the f*** voted for Melanie, she was such an easy first celeb to go." Another added: "Gutted that was totally the wrong bottom 2 and such a shame for Amy, some of the dancers like John and Sean were lucky due to other better scores and why on earth Melanie survived."
A third commented: "SO sad to see Chris and Amy go. I don't think they deserved to this week. Imo it should've been Melanie and Aljaz. But the public vote how they want to. And honestly I do still think Chris would've done MUCH better in a same sex partnership, but it was his choice."
However, plenty of fans showed their support for Melanie and were excited to see her take on a Charleston this weekend. One said: "Melanie doing a Charleston I'm ready." Another added: "Congratulations Melanie and Aljaz see you next week." A final fan commented: "Well done Melanie. You go girl."
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One on Saturday at 6.15pm.
