Emmerdale star Lawrence Robb was left feeling guilty and "devastated" after he and professional partner Jowita Przystał became the first couple eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing in the show's inaugural three-couple dance-off.
The pair were axed following the Halloween episode of the BBC Saturday night series, after facing Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu, and Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu. All four judges unanimously voted to send Lawrence and Jowita home.
Body language analysis reveals mixed emotions
Celebrity psychic and body language expert Inball Honigman studied Lawrence's reaction to the news and revealed he was "devastated".
"On the one hand, Lawrence accepts his fate and is even secretly excited to have made it this far. On the other hand, he's quite devastated for Jowita, feeling that he has let her down; he's regretful that she now has to leave the competition because of him," she said.
Honigman noted that when Lawrence first understood it was over, his face showed acceptance. "His lips tighten, his chin rises, and the corners of his mouth turn up a little. This is a 'tight-lipped smile', and it signifies polite acknowledgement. It is a dignified facial expression which seeks to accept, not to argue."
Guilt and empathy in the farewell embrace
"His little head-tilt indicates empathy. He's not over the moon, but the head tilt suggests that he knows why he's leaving," Honigman added.
"Once he's internalised the news, his smile becomes cheeky, teeth flashing and eyes narrowing, but he's still a little uneasy, seeing as his right hand curls up into a fidgety, tight fist," she said. The expert explained that the cheeky smile was Lawrence's own reaction, while the tight fist was his response to Jowita having to leave.
Continuing on behalf of Covers.com, she said: "It quickly becomes apparent that he is uneasy because he's sad for Jowita. When he hugs his dance partner, Lawrence embraces her with his full body, protectively, and rests his head on her. This warm and loving embrace projects emotions of sympathy and a desire to keep her safe. He feels guilty for the night's result."
Historic first triple dance-off
The three couples had to perform their routines again for the judges in the first-ever triple dance-off in the show's history. Bethany and Nancy performed their Jive to I'm In Love With a Monster by Fifth Harmony, Jaime and Carlos performed their Salsa to Filthy/Gorgeous by Scissor Sisters, and Lawrence and Jowita performed their Tango to Ghostbusters by Ray Parker Jr.
Despite having more choice than usual, the judges were united in their decision. Head judge Shirley Ballas chose to eliminate Lawrence and Jowita, with Anton Du Beke and Craig Revel Horwood also voting for them to leave the show. Motsi Mabuse, who this week was the judge with the deciding vote, said if her vote was needed, she would have chosen to eliminate Lawrence and Jowita.
There are now ten couples left battling it out to win the coveted glitterball trophy at the end of the series.
