Strictly Come Dancing said farewell to another contestant on Sunday night, as actress Alex Kingston became the eighth celebrity to be eliminated from the competition.
The 62-year-old star and her professional partner Johannes Radebe found themselves in the dreaded dance-off against EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal and her partner Julian Callion, who remarkably survived the dance-off for the fifth time.
The Final Dance-Off
The week's scoring combined last week's Blackpool Special votes, the judges' scores, and additional points from Saturday's new 'Instant Dance' challenge. During the critical dance-off, judge Anton Du Beke chose to save Alex and Johannes.
However, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, and Shirley Ballas all voted to save Balvinder and Julian, securing Balvinder's place in the quarter-final and ending Alex's Strictly journey.
An Emotional Farewell
Following the result, an emotional Alex spoke with presenter Tess Daly about her experience on the show. 'I had never in my wildest dreams imagined that I would last this long,' she confessed.
'It's been just the most incredible journey for me. I feel quite proud of myself because I've loved the process, I mean 100%, you can tell by my smile.' She also paid a heartfelt tribute to her partner, adding, 'Everyone always says that their dance partner is a friend for life, but JoJo really will be.'
Johannes reciprocated the sentiment, telling Tess, 'I've never grinned as much as I have in the last few weeks. Thank you Alex for being a trooper, I will hold on to the memories. As far as the dancing goes, I think we've achieved what we wanted to achieve.'
A Challenging Performance and Fan Reaction
The elimination came after Saturday's performance, where Alex landed at the bottom of the leaderboard with just 24 points out of 40 after making several errors during her disco-themed cha cha.
Judge Motsi Mabuse delivered a blunt assessment: 'One mistake I can forgive, two mistakes I will look the other way, three mistakes? I am not mother Christmas!' Alex later attributed the performance to 'fatigue', telling Claudia Winkleman about the physical toll of the competition on her 62-year-old body.
Fans on social media expressed their sympathy, with many saying they were 'gutted' for the actress. Some viewers also expressed concern after spotting Alex limping, worrying she might have been injured.
The results show also featured a Rumba to 'Wicked Game' by Grace Carter and a musical performance by Myles Smith. The competition now moves to Musicals Week for the quarter-final, airing next Saturday at 7:45pm with the remaining five couples.
