In a dramatic Sunday night results show, actress Alex Kingston became the eighth celebrity to be voted off the current series of Strictly Come Dancing.
The Final Dance-Off
The elimination came down to a tense quarter-final dance-off between Alex and her professional partner Johannes Radebe, and EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal with her partner Julian Caillon. This marked the fifth time Balvinder had found herself in the perilous position, but on this occasion, she survived to dance another day.
For their final performance, the 62-year-old Alex and Johannes reprised their Cha Cha to Anita Ward’s Ring My Bell. Competing against them, Balvinder and Julian performed their Jive to Right Back Where We Started From by Maxine Nightingale.
An Emotional Farewell
Following the judges' decision to save Balvinder, an emotional Alex Kingston spoke with host Tess Daly. "I had never in my wildest dreams imagined that I would last this long," she admitted. "It’s been just the most incredible journey for me. I feel quite proud of myself because I’ve loved the process."
She also paid a heartfelt tribute to her dance partner, stating, "Everyone always says that their dance partner is a friend for life, but JoJo really will be."
Johannes Radebe was equally moved, revealing, "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." He added that they had achieved their dancing goals and that their bond marked the beginning of a lasting Strictly family connection.
What's Next for the Competition?
The weekend's leaderboard was a complex amalgamation of scores and votes from the previous week's Blackpool Special, combined with extra points earned from Saturday night's brand-new Instant Dance challenge, where a maximum of six additional marks were available.
With Alex's departure, Balvinder and Julian now advance to the highly-anticipated Musicals Week quarter-final next weekend. They will join the other four surviving couples. The upcoming show will also introduce another first for the series: a new high-stakes dance challenge, promising even more drama for the remaining contestants.
Sunday's Results show was not short on spectacle, featuring a dramatic Rumba professional group number to Wicked Game by Grace Carter, and a performance by singer Myles Smith of Stay (If You Wanna Dance), accompanied by professional dancers Kai Widdrington and Karen Hauer.
Fans can catch the next chapter of the competition when the Musicals Week quarter-final airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 6.50pm on Saturday and 7:45pm on Sunday.
