Strictly Come Dancing fans were left worried after spotting what they thought was a 'distraught' star during the first results show of the 2026 series. The tense night in the ballroom on Sunday (October 4) saw the first dreaded dance-off take place, resulting in the first elimination from the BBC One dance contest this year.
Week two on Saturday (October 3) came with added pressure, with the looming first exit following week one of the competition at the end of last month, where all 15 couples performed for the judges' scores and comments for the first time.
Movie Week brings the first dance-off
Earlier than ever, it was Movie Week, with the Strictly celebrities and their professional partners bringing a touch of movie magic to the dance floor with an array of dazzling routines. This week's judges' scores were added to those from last week's first live show, when there was no public vote, and were then combined with the results of Saturday night's public vote to decide the two lowest-scoring couples who would face the dance-off.
Sadly, it wasn't Chris Appleton and Amy Dowden's year as they became the first couple to leave Strictly's 2026 series, despite a plea from fans to keep them in the competition following the professional dancer's early exit last year.
Fans concerned for Jowita Przystal
After their dances in the first two weeks of the show failed to impress the judges, the pair left the competition following a Movie Week dance-off against actress Jaime Winstone and her partner Carlos Gu. Both couples performed their routines again, with Chris and Amy doing a cha cha to I'll Be Ready from Baywatch before Jaime and Carlos did the same dance but to Oh, Pretty Woman from Pretty Woman.
When it came to choosing who to save, judges Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke all chose to save Jaime and Carlos, who won last year's season of Strictly with former footballer Karen Carney. Craig Revel Horwood – who was the judge with the deciding vote this week – said that he would have also saved the same couple as the rest of the judges if he had needed to vote.
But it was when Emma Willis was revealing who was safe for another week in the competition that fans became concerned for one of the show's pros. They were unimpressed that the two couples facing the dance-off were told right at the end, when left in a pool of just four couples, with the results being revealed in three parts and split between chats with the judges, a pro performance, and a guest musical act.
It meant that Will Best and Dianne Buswell, as well as Lawrence Robb and Jowita Przystal, didn't get a moment to celebrate getting through to another week with their fellow couples, and it's then that Strictly fans became concerned for former show champ Jowita.
Jowita responds on social media
@holdontoyou13 said: "Omg Jowita was so distraught #Strictly." @JENNIFERSELMES replied: "I noticed that too. May be wrong, but I thought she had been crying as they all stood waiting to hear whether they were though or not."
But she did take to social media afterwards, and writing on her Instagram Story alongside a picture of herself and Lawrence from their latest routine, she said: "Thank you so much everyone for voting for us. Incredibly grateful to be able to perform for you next Saturday. So proud of you @lawrencejarobb. Tomorrow another week, another dance and another story to tell."
