Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey has become the third celebrity to be eliminated from the 2026 series of Strictly Come Dancing following Icons Week.
Dame Sarah and her professional partner Julian Caillon ended up in the dance-off alongside Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu on Sunday, October 18, after coming bottom of the leaderboard on Saturday night. After the viewer votes were combined with the judges' scores, their position did not improve, which meant they had to perform their Tango to "That Don't Impress Me Much" by Shania Twain once more, while Bethany and Nancy danced their Cha Cha to "Respect" by Aretha Franklin.
Judges' Decision and Reaction
After both couples had danced, the judges unanimously decided to save Bethany and Nancy, which meant the end of the Strictly road for the Paralympian.
She said: "I've obsviously has the most amazing teacher which has just been the biggest blessing and getting to learn different dances is something that I've never ever done and never even thought I could do . I'm really proud I could have a few weeks learning from this incredible chap and I've really enjoyed every minute."
Meanwhile, fans took to X, formerly Twitter, to react to the elimination. One said: "I'll really miss Sarah and Julian, what a lovely partnership." A second commented: "Sad to see Sarah Storey leave #StrictlyComeDancing. Gave all my 5 votes to her yesterday because she had so much more in the tank. She worked hard and her performances were improving."
Another posted: "Sarah and Julian are both so sweet I'm a bit emotional now, I really loved their partnership." A fourth said: "Sarah and Julian, I'm sad you're leaving but I'm proud of the progress you have made, Sarah I hope you never stop dancing lovely."
Dani Dyer's 'Death Slot' Rumba
Dame Sarah's elimination came after fans believed Dani Dyer's exit was 'sealed' this week when she and pro partner Nikita Kuzmin were given the 'death slot' to perform their Rumba to "Hero" by Mariah Carey. After John Nellis and Katya Jones launched Icons week, Dani and Nikita were second to take to the dance floor. However, viewers observed that Dani, 30, had been assigned what fans have notoriously labelled the feared "death slot" - the second performance of the programme, immediately following the opener.
Moreover, she was also tasked with the Rumba, widely regarded as the most challenging dance style on the BBC show. After the judges' scores were awarded, the pair ended up second from bottom on the leaderboard with 25 points - four points above Dame Sarah and Julian at the bottom.
"What did dani do to deserve a death slot rumba?" queried one viewer, while another proclaimed: "A rumba in the death slot GIRL BYEEE." A third remarked: "Death slot rumba oh no." A fourth wrote: "I need Dani to believe in herself a little bit more. She's so nervous but the Rumba is a very difficult dance. I think she did well not her strongest dance but I love her partnership with Nikita so much."
However, viewers voted in their droves and they found themselves escalated up the leaderboard when the judges' and fans' scores were combined, so were saved from the dreaded dance off.
Tributes During Results Show
During Sunday's results show, the professional dancers paid their own homage to Icons week when they transformed into different eras of Madonna in a showstopping routine in tribute to the Queen of Pop. There was also a very special tribute to Dolly Parton as singer Belles sang Dolly's iconic "Jolene", accompanied by a performance from Amy Dowden and Kai Widdrington.
Strictly Come Dancing is on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
