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Strictly Come Dancing is now well underway, with the second contestant of the competition voted off after a brutal dance-off.
This week saw the celebrities perform a series of themed performances for Movie Week. Miranda comedian Sarah Hadland brought viewers to tears with a magical tribute to Dame Maggie Smith, in an ode to her role as Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter movies.
Meanwhile, TV medic Dr Punam Krishan made Strictly history with the show’s first ever Bollywood routine.
The scores at the top of the leaderboard remain extremely tight with just a point between them, but there were two performers who lagged behind.
Singer Toyah Willcox and former footballer Paul Merson found themselves in the bottom two after the public vote, having also received the lowest scores from the judges with 15 and 19, respectively.
During Sunday night’s (6 October) results show, both stars performed their Movie Week routines for a second time as part of a dance-off to determine who will stay in the competition.
Wilcox and her partner Neil Jones danced the Samba to “Poor Unfortunate Souls” from Little Mermaid, while Merson and Karen Hauer performed the Cha Cha to “The Magnificent Seven” from 1960’s The Magnificent Seven.
After their dances were complete, the judges delivered their verdict, resulting in a unanimous decision to save Merson and Hauer.
Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, and Anton Du Beke all chose to save the footballer, with head judge Shirley Ballas stating that she would have also chosen to eliminate Willcox.
Following her elimination, Wilcox told host Tess Daly: “It’s been the best two months of my life, it has been fantastic. I have enjoyed every second. And you [Neil Jones] have been phenomenal, thank you so much.”
Meanwhile, professional dancer Jones added: “She has made me laugh so much, I have never seen someone work so hard – I’m the one asking for breaks every now and then!
“She just kept going, she wanted to learn so much. If you saw her in the hallway she’s been practicing. Everyone’s been telling me have you seen Toyah practicing, she’s brilliant and she’s what Strictly is all about, and I’ve loved every moment.”
When asked about her partner, Willcox said of her connection to Jones: “It was immediate, it had to be Neil. I felt so comfortable and safe. You’re a great teacher, you’re a great friend as well. You’ve just given me a new zest for life, that’s the most valuable thing I’ve come away with.”
Willcox’s elimination follows after Olympic swimmer Tom Dean became the first to be booted from the competition last week.
