Dame Sarah Storey and her professional partner Julian Caillon have become the third couple eliminated from the 2026 series of Strictly Come Dancing. The pair landed in the dance-off on Sunday, October 18, after finishing bottom of the leader board on Saturday night during Icons Week.
Following the combination of viewer votes and judges' scores, their position did not improve, forcing them to perform their Tango to That Don't Impress Me Much by Shania Twain again. They faced Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu, who danced their Cha Cha to Respect by Aretha Franklin.
After both couples had danced, the judges unanimously decided to save Bethany and Nancy, ending the Strictly road for the Paralympian.
Sarah Storey's Reaction to Elimination
Speaking after the result, Dame Sarah 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."
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."
Shania Twain Surprise
The elimination came after Dame Sarah received a surprise video message from Shania Twain on Saturday. After performing the Tango for the first time to the singer's hit, the pair headed upstairs for a chat with host Johannes Radebe, unaware of the surprise in store.
Before revealing the judges' scores, Johannes presented a heartwarming video message from Shania Twain. In the clip, she said: "Hello, Sarah and Julian. I hear you're dancing the Tango to That Don't Impress Me Much. I wanted to wish you both all the luck in the world. And I hope you impress those judges, I know you will. And who knows? Maybe you can come and show me those tango moves in person at one of my UK shows very soon. Let's go, girls."
The duo were utterly floored by the message, with Julian exclaiming "she knows who we are!". Fans were equally shocked by the cameo, with one viewer posting: "No way!!" Another enthused: "OMG SHANIA!! I thought there'd be one Icon message but never Shania! Diva." While a third person chimed in: "Shaniaaaaa what a queen."
Tributes on 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 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.
