Bethany Antonia has been dealt a major blow just hours before the next live show of Strictly Come Dancing. The House of the Dragon star, 28, will be hoping to impress the judges as she returns to the dancefloor this evening for a Halloween special.
Bethany and her partner Nancy Xu are set to perform the Jive to I'm in Love With a Monster by Fifth Harmony. But in a crushing blow to the star, Bethany is the favourite with bookmaker Coral to be the next contestant eliminated, with odds of 7/4.
Bookmaker's odds put star in danger zone
The bookmaker puts her in the danger zone alongside former EastEnders actress Jaime Winstone, who has odds of 3/1 for being eliminated.
Discussing her chances of leaving, Coral's John Hill said: "Bethany Antonia will be hoping to avoid a Strictly nightmare this Halloween, with the odds suggesting her time on the dancefloor could be running out."
"She'll need to pull out all the stops to impress the judges and viewers, and keep her Strictly journey alive for another week."
Previous dance-off appearance
Unfortunately for Bethany, the dance-off isn't an unfamiliar place as she has already been there once this series. During Icons Week, Bethany and Nancy, 35, performed a Cha Cha to Aretha Franklin.
The duo were awarded 27 points for their performance, finding themselves in the bottom half of the leaderboard. They received the fewest votes alongside Dame Sarah Storey and her professional partner Julian Caillon, with both couples forced to dance again.
The judges unanimously decided to save Bethany and Nancy, meaning Sarah and Julian were eliminated from the competition.
BBC statement on t-shirt edit
Earlier in the month, the BBC released a statement after receiving complaints from Strictly fans about a trans rights t-shirt being removed from the show. During the episode, broadcast on October 10, footage showed Bethany wearing a white t-shirt bearing the words "PROTECT THE DOLLS" during training sessions.
However, later in the programme, the BBC edited the garment to make it look like a plain white top. The phrase "protect the dolls" is a pro-trans message which first appeared on clothing by fashion designer Conner Ives in 2025.
It has been worn by famous figures including Madonna and Pedro Pascal, and has contributed to fundraising for charitable organisations. A BBC spokesperson said: "As is standard practice on any entertainment show on the BBC and in line with our editorial guidelines, appropriate steps are taken to reduce the inclusion of any overt branding or slogans that may be present, regardless of the wording or statement in question."
