The glitterball trophy is feeling further away than ever for one struggling Strictly Come Dancing pairing, with their exit from the competition reportedly 'sealed' in a devastating blow that will see them miss the iconic Blackpool Week.
The Dance Off Drama Continues
This weekend, the BBC ballroom will witness another emotional farewell as one more celebrity and their professional partner are sent home. The spotlight is firmly on actress Balvinder Sopal and her dance partner Julian Caillon, who are staring down the barrel of elimination according to the latest betting odds.
Despite being the bookmakers' top pick to leave last weekend, the duo managed to narrowly avoid the dreaded bottom two. Instead, it was Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and La Voix who found themselves having to dance for their survival. In a tense decision, all the judges chose to save La Voix, signalling the end of the road for the Gladiator star.
Exclusive Odds Point to a Heartbreaking Exit
This week, however, the odds have swung decisively against Balvinder and Julian. According to exclusive figures from Betway, reported by Wales Online, the pair have been handed staggering odds of 150/1 to be the couple departing on Sunday night.
La Voix, who was saved by the judges just last week, is not out of the woods either, facing odds of 100/1 for elimination. At the other end of the spectrum, the competition's frontrunner remains George Clarke, who is the favourite to win the entire series with impressive odds of 10/11.
He is followed in second place by Emmerdale's Lewis Cope with odds of 11/4, while former reality star Vicky Pattison holds third place with odds of 6/1.
The Stakes: Missing the Magic of Blackpool
Whoever is eliminated this weekend will suffer a particularly cruel blow: they will forfeit the chance to perform at the world-famous Blackpool Tower Ballroom. For the contestants, dancing in Blackpool is a milestone moment in the Strictly journey, making this weekend's elimination more consequential than most.
The pressure is clearly taking its toll. Following their recent bottom-two scare, Balvinder and Julian appeared on the sister show It Takes Two, where Balvinder opened up about the immense challenge of learning the Rumba.
She told host Fleur East, "The rumba, it was the hardest thing to learn. Literally, on Tuesday, I'd thrown the towel in and went, 'I can't do it,' I sat in a corner and cried." She credited her partner's patience, adding, "Jules was standing there and went, 'When you're ready, bro... we've got to get this done.'"
Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday at 6.30pm on BBC One, where the fate of the competing couples will once again be decided by the British public and the judging panel.
