BBC Strictly Come Dancing's seventh celebrity eliminated a week before Blackpool special
Strictly Come Dancing has bid farewell to another celebrity, who will miss out on the much-anticipated Blackpool special next week. On Sunday night's results show, former X Factor champ Shayne Ward and his dance partner Nancy Xu were sent packing after a dance-off against opera singer Wynne Evans and his professional dance partner Katya Jones.
Shayne and Nancy had performed their Couple's Choice rumba to Cyndi Lauper's Time After Time, while Wynne and Katya danced the American smooth to Mika's Grace Kelly. The judges were split - with Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse opting to save Shayne and Nancy, but Anton Du Beke voting to keep Wynne and Katya in the competition.
However, head judge Shirley Ballas had the final say and eliminated Shayne and Nancy from the contest. Reflecting on his journey, the 40-year-old actor and singer said: "I just want to say, you guys up there (the other contestants) are a dream. Every single day, coming in here and seeing you guys, you helped me so much.
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"I want to say thank-you to the audience as well, for always being amazing for us all. This has been, honestly, one of the best things I’ve ever done. I’m proud that I made it to eight weeks as a novice dancer. A massive thank-you goes to this incredible human right next to me (Nancy), who has put so much fire in me and made me believe that I can actually achieve more if I let myself go."
He went on to tell Nancy how proud he was to meet and dance with her, and thanked her for what they'd achieved so far.
Nancy also said how proud she was of their time in the series, adding: "I’m beyond proud of this dance partnership. Shayne, from week one until this point, every second you put your feet on the dance floor you improved yourself.
"You’re a deep thinker, you always doubt yourself, you never believed in yourself, but I never, ever questioned you. When I watch you, I feel proud because I’ve turned someone who has never, ever danced in their life into an amazing dancer. You should believe in yourself. I adored this partnership."
Elsewhere, there was inevitably lots of Blackpool talk, with Shirley saying it is "by far, the best ballroom in the world".
The results show also featured a performance by Ball & Boe, made up of Michael Ball and Alfie Boe, and a special Remembrance Sunday tribute by the professional dancers to The Blower’s Daughter by Damien Rice. The remaining eight couples will hit the Blackpool Tower Ballroom dance floor next Saturday for a special evening.
The results will be broadcasted on Sunday November 17 at 7.20pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
