Lawrence Robb was left "crushed" and "un-mended" during his final Strictly Come Dancing appearance after he and dance partner Jowita Przystał were unanimously eliminated by the judges in the show's first-ever three-couple dance-off, according to a body language specialist.
The Emmerdale actor was among the celebrities competing in the latest series of the BBC One programme, joining the likes of Lacey Turner, Cach Mercer and Jamie Winstone. Robb and Przystał quickly became audience favourites during their time on the show.
Last weekend, the pair were knocked out of the contest after delivering a tango to the Ghostbusters theme tune during the Halloween instalment, which earned them 26 points. They faced Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu, alongside Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu, in the programme's first three-couple dance-off, and all four judges chose to eliminate Robb and Przystał.
Body Language Analysis of Final Appearance
Speaking on behalf of Paddy Power, body language expert Judi James offered her analysis of how Robb truly felt during his last Strictly appearance. James said: "Lawrence was crushed last week and this week he appeared un-mended. He stood under an umbrella for his VT, with his posture and expression suggesting a low, sad mood."
She also highlighted how Robb rubbed his mouth and shook his head "to suggest inner anxiety". James added: "Poor Lawrence seems to have been dealt a bad hand throughout this competition," before pointing out the considerable height difference between him and Jowita, "whose head only came up to his shoulder".
Judges' Decision and Fan Reaction
James subsequently discussed the costumes and overall concept behind his performance. She elaborated: "Lawrence showed during the first few minutes of his dance that he would have excelled in terms of showing off signals of cruel passion and intensity that should have made a tango his best dance to date. But they decided to make him perform his macho, passionate tango to the music of Ghostbusters, robbing him of all his dancing dignity and forcing him to turn a tango into a comedy number."
James then predicted: "When Lawrence said he 'Loved it' and had 'So much fun' his facial wince; his head shaking a 'no' and his throwaway hand gesture were all totally incongruent with his words." She added: "The last straw for Lawrence's chances of staying on the show came when Jowita decided to respond to their votes of '6' as though they'd got '10', shrieking and leaping in an overkill display as though they'd won the entire competition."
Following Robb's departure, supporters were left heartbroken, with some claiming the actor had been "robbed". On X, one person wrote: "Dare I say it, but Lawrence was robbed. I am so sad." Another chimed in: "Poor Lawrence was robbed in the most horrible way during this horrendous three-way dance-off." A third penned: "Gutted for Lawrence Robb(ed) and Jowita Przystał. Will miss them. Lawrence is a beautiful person inside and out. Will miss his smile and presence so much! The 3 way dance off was not a good idea."
Strictly Come Dancing airs every weekend on BBC One and iPlayer.
