James Bye made a surprise return to Strictly Come Dancing during Halloween Week, appearing in the training room to support his former EastEnders co-star Lacey Turner. The 42-year-old actor, known for playing Martin Fowler on the soap, took part in the competition in 2022 with professional partner Amy Dowden.
Emotional Reunion on the Dance Floor
Before Lacey and her partner Vito Coppola performed their Charleston to Crazy Stupid Love by Cheryl and Tinie Tempah, James joined them for a chat. "It's the best that James has come to see me. He is literally like my brother," Lacey told the camera.
James praised her performance, saying: "Knowing you very, very well, I'm blown away. Straight up blown away. You look great on the dance floor." Lacey noted that her former co-star had warned her the experience would be "hard," adding: "You just didn't specify how hard!"
Fans React to the Surprise Appearance
Viewers took to social media to express their delight at seeing James return. "Stacey and Martin reunited," one person posted on X, while another wrote: "JAMES AND LACEY REUNITED GOD I LOVE THEM! OUR STACEY AND MARTIN." A further comment read: "James and Lacey I miss them."
James joked about his own time on the show, saying: "[Halloween] was my favourite week, when I left the show with the Charleston." He finished: "Lace, you guys are smashing it. I hope your Charleston on Halloween goes a lot better than mine, which I'm sure it will."
Leaderboard Success
Lacey and Vito's Charleston impressed the judges, earning them the top spot on the leaderboard with 36 points. Motsi Mabuse remarked: "Wow, best dance of the night. Congratulations! Stunning, stunning!" Shirley Ballas added: "You shocked me [tonight], you had me on the front of my seat. That's a huge improvement, well done."
Strictly Come Dancing is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
