Emotional Strictly dance compared to Rose and Giovanni's iconic 'silent' moment
The judges and the audience were both in tears during Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday 9 November, thanks to a moving performance from comedian Chris McCausland and his professional partner Dianne Buswell. Chris and Dianne danced a Couples’ Choice to John Lennon’s classic song Instant Karma (We All Shine On), and their routine featured a ‘blackout’ moment when the room went dark, and then the lights came on with Chris holding Dianne in a beautiful lift.
Before their dance, Chris had movingly talked in a pre-recorded video about his feelings about being blind since he was a teenager and signing up to the dance show. “My experience was denial, frustration, and you pretend you can see, you try and blunder through,” he said. He then admitted he had been asked to do Strictly a few times before and had previously refused because he was initially scared of it. “To be honest, I realised for me to not do this is quite selfish, because I’m lucky enough to be in the position where I have the opportunity to represent people. It’s not that people with disabilities need inspiring or they need to see themselves on the telly, but I think everyone else does,” he said.
Following the dance, fans rushed to social media to complement Chris, and they described his dance as “beautiful and emotional.” One fan said: “I’m sobbing tbh,” while another compared the routine to Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice’s silent dance in 2021, writing: “The blackout was fabulous, as emotional as Rose’s silent dance.” Others added their praise with one commenting: “Totally agree with Chris & Dianne they are the people’s choice and I so hope they win,” and another adding: “I didn’t think Chris and Dianne could beat their waltz but that couples choice was just brilliant. I’m genuinely lost for words at that dance and how special their partnership is.”
READ MORE:Strictly fans confused by huge change to live shows - as reason is revealed
READ MORE:Strictly's Lauren Oakley's terse response to trolls after she's slammed for hairstyle
It wasn’t just the fans who thought Chris and Dianne’s dance was so special. While giving her critique, head judge Shirley Ballas had to stop speaking because she was so moved and on the verge of tears. She said: “I’m getting all emotional. You don’t miss a beat, you have no fear. You come out every week with your heart on your sleeve and you give us 100% of what you’re capable of.”
She then declared: “In my book, that’s a winner.”
Fellow judge Anton Du Beke also praised the pair, and singled Dianne out by saying she should receive her own trophy for the professional who has done the most incredible job this series. He finished by saying to Chris: “If I could give you 15, I would, but I can’t. I can’t even give you 10 because you went a bit wrong but other than that, you were magnificent.”
