To tell you the truth, no word of a lie, I thought I was going to be out last week, so I’ve had an extra week with this beautiful soul,
reflected Melanie Walters after her elimination.
The Gavin and Stacey actress has become the second celebrity contestant to exit the latest series of Strictly Come Dancing, bowing out after a tense dance-off during Sunday night’s results show on BBC One according to Yahoo News UK. The 64-year-old performer, best known for playing Gwen West in the BBC comedy series set in Essex and Wales, had been partnered with professional dancer Aljaz Skorjanec.
During Saturday’s broadcast, the pair performed a Charleston set to Gina G’s classic pop track Ooh Ahh… Just A Little Bit,
earning a score of 17 points from the judges. Panelist Craig Revel Horwood admitted he did not love the routine, while fellow judge Motsi Mabuse encouraged the Welsh performer to keep going.
However, the score left the duo second from bottom on the leaderboard, just above former footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips and his partner Alexis Warr, who finished at the bottom with 15 points for a quickstep to The Monkees song I’m A Believer.
Having landed in the bottom two across the first two weeks of the competition, Walters and Skorjanec found themselves in the dance-off for the second week, facing Wright-Phillips and Warr.
Judges Vote to Eliminate Walters
After both couples performed their routines for a second time during Sunday’s results show, the judges cast their final votes to determine who would remain in the competition. The panel split on the decision: Motsi Mabuse opted to save Walters, but Craig Revel Horwood and Shirley Ballas both chose to save Wright-Phillips and Warr. Anton du Beke then delivered the deciding vote, choosing to save Wright-Phillips and Warr due to an uplift in their performance.
Explaining his reasoning on the panel, Craig Revel Horwood stated, Due to enthusiasm and technical ability, I would like to save Shaun and Alexis.
Anton du Beke added, I was looking for somebody to have an uplift in their performance from Saturday night, and one couple did that for me. A couple I thought, uh, that did do that, and I’d like to save would be Shaun and Alexis.
Following the result, professional partner Aljaz Skorjanec reflected on the outcome, noting, I only wish I could have done better for her because she deserves to go further in the competition, but we did put everything into it.
Walters becomes the second celebrity to leave the current series, following celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton, who was eliminated last week alongside professional partner Amy Dowden.
Show Prepares For Icons Week
The elimination leaves 13 couples remaining in the competition as the series prepares for Icons Week next Saturday. Walters’ departure removes one partnership ahead of the format change, leaving the surviving contestants with no extra margin for error.
The eliminated couple is scheduled to appear on the BBC spin-off show It Takes Two on Monday evening to discuss their journey on the dance floor. Meanwhile, the top of the leaderboard on Saturday was claimed by Australian singer Delta Goodrem and professional partner Kai Widdrington, who earned 33 points for their salsa, marking the second week the pair racked up the most points in the contest.