Strictly Come Dancing contestant Cach Mercer apologised to It Takes Two host Ellie Taylor after suggesting he would bet on fellow competitor Delta Goodrem to win the 2026 series.
On Tuesday (October 20), the former Love Island champion appeared on the BBC Two spin-off show alongside Emmerdale star Lawrence Robb and athlete Tabby Stoecker to discuss their latest performances. Presenter Ellie Taylor confirmed Cach had joined the "ballroom boys club" after judge Anton Du Beke's remarks on Saturday (October 17), when Cach performed a Foxtrot to Theme from New York, New York by Frank Sinatra with his professional partner, Maddie Ingoldsby.
Joint top of the leaderboard
The performance placed Cach and Maddie joint top of the week four leaderboard alongside Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu, earning 34 points. Ellie then asked whether Cach was "starting to feel like a front runner" to win the Glitterball trophy, but he rejected the suggestion.
He responded: "No, I'm not starting to feel like that; to be fair, I can't because it is still really close between everybody." Cach continued: "If I was at the top every week then I guess that would give you some sort of grace to say that but, I don't think there is a front runner in the competition so far."
Betting remark sparks apology
Ellie interjected, noting that "anything could happen" in the competition, before Cach mentioned that Delta Goodrem had been absent from Icon's Week on Saturday. Cach added: "And Delta wasn't there, I can't lie, she is cold. Like, I would bet money on her winning", as Ellie swiftly interjected: "Don't say that."
"Oh sorry, I don't do bets," Cach confirmed, while Ellie appeared taken aback and remarked, "Don't do bets, don't do bets," gesturing emphatically with her finger.
Delta's injury and return
Australian singer and actress Delta is paired with dancer Kai Widdrington for the 2026 series, with the duo consistently securing either first or second place on the leaderboard throughout the opening three weeks. Nevertheless, Delta was compelled to withdraw from Icon's Week during week four as she recuperated at home following a rib injury. She is expected to return to the ballroom for the forthcoming live show on Saturday (October 24).
Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy at the 2026 Pride of Britain Awards on Monday (October 19), Kai revealed: "We're happy to be back training and looking forward to the weekend. She had a little injury, but she's all good. She's back, she's training, her head is in the right place, and yeah, we're just training like we would any other weekend to get back to get ready for Saturday."
Strictly: It Takes Two airs Monday to Friday at 6:30 PM on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer. Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturday nights at 6:30 PM on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, followed by the Sunday results show.
