Strictly Come Dancing 2023 LIVE — Stars pay tribute to Amanda Abbington as Zara McDermott axed in tense dance-off
- Shirley Ballas in sexism row after scoring of top female dancers
- Fans spot major Strictly format shakeup - but did you notice?
All recommendations within this article are informed by expert editorial opinion. If you click on a link in this story we may earn affiliate revenue.
ZARA and Graziano said goodbye to this year's competition after being voted off by the public in the Halloween special.
The Strictly Come Dancing elimination saw Zara McDermott and Graziano Di Prima take on Adam Thomas and Luba Mushtuk.
This comes after a week when one of the show's cast quit the competition.
Amanda Abbington announced her departure from the show in a touching statement, after missing week five on medical grounds.
And during the Halloween special, hosts Tess and Claudia paid tribute to the star as they said: "Now earlier this week Amanda Abbington withdrew from the competition. We are sending you all our love.”
Read our live blog below for the latest news and updates...
Ellie Leach new favourite to win Strictly Come Dancing
Ellie Leach continues to impress judges and fans alike, and now the Corrie star is Bookies favourite to take home the Glitterball trophy.
Spokesperson for , Lee Phelps, said: “After scoring a personal best of 38 points in Saturday’s Halloween Special, Ellie Leach is now our clear favourite to win this year’s edition of Strictly Come Dancing.
“The Coronation Street star has been in the shadows of previous favourites Bobby Brazier and Nigel Harman for most of the series but is now our 7/4 frontrunner following six weeks of the competition.
“Bobby and Nigel now find themselves 2/1 and 4/1 respectively for victory, with Layton Williams (8/1) rounding off the top four.”
When Alesha Dixon won Strictly
Singer Alesha Dixon and professional dancer Matthew Cutler stormed to victory in 2007’s Strictly Come Dancing with a series of show-stopping routines including a Cha Cha to Crazy in Love.
Following her incredible win, she later returned to the series as a short-lived judge, before joining the team at Britain’s Got Talent.
They beat Matt DiAngelo and his partner Flavia Cacace in the final – though they ended up a couple so I guess everyone was a winner here.
Who’s still in it to win it?
The stars left competing on Strictly are:
- Actor and model Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell
- News anchor Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Lauren Oakley
- Actress Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola
- Actress Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin
- Tennis ace Annabel Croft and Johannes Radebe
- Actor Nigel Harman and Katya Jones
- News anchor Angela Rippon and Kai Widdington
- TV presenter Angela Scanlon and Carlos Gu
- Actor Adam Thomas and Luba Mushtuk
Strictly pro pays touching tribute to Zara after exit
Graziano Di Prima paid tribute to his partner Zara after she was dumped from Strictly on Sunday.
He said: "She has been great for me 8am till 9pm. Never stopping, asking just for a half an hour break.
"She is literally what Strictly is all about. A real novice, coming in, putting all the hard job.
"You have such a good soul. You are so humble and I say thank you that I found a friend like you. I have learnt so much from you. And your hard work within six weeks.
"You have never danced before. I am so proud of you. So proud of you honestly."
When does Strictly Come Dancing return?
Strictly Come Dancing is back once again this Saturday, but the iconic competition will air a little later than usual.
Marking the halfway point of the series, the episode will air at 7:05pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
You can also use the BBC's streaming service to catch up on the series so far.
Who is Zara McDermott's boyfriend?
Since August 2019, Zara has been in a relationship with Made In Chelsea star Sam Thompson.
The couple have had their ups and downs, with Zara admitting to cheating on her man in the early stages of their relationship.
However, the pair are now stronger than ever and live together in Sam's native Chelsea.
Before Sam, Zara famously dated Adam Collard who she met when she was on Love Island in 2018.
However, in February 2019, The Sun revealed that the pair had called it quits after eight months together.
What did Zara say after her exit?
Following her exit last night, Zara said: “I have had the time of my life. Just to be here is incredible.
“Thank you to the judges and my amazing partner, obviously.
“My fellow contestants are just incredible. It has been the most amazing experience. I can’t believe it’s over but I am going to be here in spirit every week supporting them.”
Who won Strictly Come Dancing 2022?
After weeks of hard work, Hamza Yassin and Jowita Przystał – who were firm favourites – were crowned the winners of Strictly Come Dancing 2022.
After Tess and Claudia revealed the results, a teary Hamza said: “Words can’t describe how I feel.
“I want to thank one person in particular – Jowita. You are an angel disguised as a human being.
“You are amazing. Thank you to everyone out there for voting for us.
“This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Zara shares touching tribute to Graziano after Strictly axe
Following her departure from Strictly Come Dancing, Zara McDermott paid tribute to her partner Graziano.
In a passionate post, Zara wrote: “You have no idea how much your words meant to me Graziano, “you get out what you put in” has always been my motto as my dad has said it to me since I could talk…. and I believe we did our absolute best.
“We worked every second possible. I can’t stop crying every time I watch this. I love you! You are a treasure.”
Zara McDermott blames Strictly dumping on one key reason
Zare McDermott has blamed her Strictly Come Dancing departure on her Love Island career.
The reality star-turned-documentary-maker, 26, has finished in the bottom two three times on the BBC dance show.
And last night she became the fifth celebrity to leave when she lost in the dance-off against Waterloo Road actor Adam Thomas.
In part, she blamed a medical emergency with her boyfriend Sam Thompson for missing vital rehearsal time for the Halloween special.
But a source added: “Ultimately, she’s still remembered as a reality star and she feels that viewers just couldn’t get past her being an ex-Love Island contestant.”
Who’s still in it to win it?
The stars left competing on Strictly are:
- Actor and model Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell
- News anchor Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Lauren Oakley
- Actress Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola
- Actress Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin
- Tennis ace Annabel Croft and Johannes Radebe
- Actor Nigel Harman and Katya Jones
- News anchor Angela Rippon and Kai Widdington
- TV presenter Angela Scanlon and Carlos Gu
- Actor Adam Thomas and Luba Mushtuk
When Alesha Dixon won Strictly
Singer Alesha Dixon and professional dancer Matthew Cutler stormed to victory in 2007’s Strictly Come Dancing with a series of show-stopping routines including a Cha Cha to Crazy in Love.
Following her incredible win, she later returned to the series as a short-lived judge, before joining the team at Britain’s Got Talent.
They beat Matt DiAngelo and his partner Flavia Cacace in the final – though they ended up a couple so I guess everyone was a winner here.
Strictly Come Dancing departures so far
Every Sunday Strictly waves goodbye to one more celebrity.
Here’s who’s left the competition so far:
- Week Six: Zara McDermott
- Week five: Eddie Kadi
- Week four: Jody Cundy
- Week three: Nikita Kanda
- Week two: Les Dennis
- Week one: No one
Amanda Abbington quit the show last week.
How to watch Strictly while abroad
To watch Strictly Come Dancing while you're abroad you will first have to download a VPN, like or onto the device you’ll be streaming iPlayer from.
You then need to load the VPN and select a UK server, which will (legally) reroute your IP address to the UK.
You’ll then be able to head to iPlayer and stream Strictly Come Dancing with no trouble.
When did Bill Bailey win Strictly?
Bill Bailey and Oti Mabuse were crowned the winners of Strictly Come Dancing in 2020.
After performances from HRVY, Maisie Smith and Jamie Laing, entertainer Bill became the eldest contestant to ever take home the Giltterball trophy.
Announcing the result as the spectacular nine-week series came to an end, host Tess Daly said: “The moment we’ve all been waiting for… the Strictly champions of 2020 are Bill and Oti.”
Champion Bill said: “It feels surreal, extraordinary and wonderful.
“I never thought we would get this far. I never thought we’d get to the final.
“I’ve had the most extraordinary teacher and the most extraordinary dancer.
“Someone who has believed in me right from the beginning. She found somet
Ellie Leach new favourite to win Strictly Come Dancing
Ellie Leach continues to impress judges and fans alike, and now the Corrie star is Bookies favourite to take home the Glitterball trophy.
Spokesperson for , Lee Phelps, said: “After scoring a personal best of 38 points in Saturday’s Halloween Special, Ellie Leach is now our clear favourite to win this year’s edition of Strictly Come Dancing.
“The Coronation Street star has been in the shadows of previous favourites Bobby Brazier and Nigel Harman for most of the series but is now our 7/4 frontrunner following six weeks of the competition.
“Bobby and Nigel now find themselves 2/1 and 4/1 respectively for victory, with Layton Williams (8/1) rounding off the top four.”
Zara shares touching tribute to Graziano after Strictly axe
Following her departure from Strictly Come Dancing, Zara McDermott paid tribute to her partner Graziano.
In a passionate post, Zara wrote: “You have no idea how much your words meant to me Graziano, “you get out what you put in” has always been my motto as my dad has said it to me since I could talk…. and I believe we did our absolute best.
“We worked every second possible. I can’t stop crying every time I watch this. I love you! You are a treasure.”
What did Zara say after her exit?
Following her exit last night, Zara said: “I have had the time of my life. Just to be here is incredible.
“Thank you to the judges and my amazing partner, obviously.
“My fellow contestants are just incredible. It has been the most amazing experience. I can’t believe it’s over but I am going to be here in spirit every week supporting them.”
Fans are convinced judges are overscoring contestant
Viewers have expressed their views on social media that her stay in the competition maybe intentionally prolonged to keep her on Strictly Come Dancing to at least Blackpool week for symbolic reasons.
One fan claimed: "Angela R is a BBC institution so the show seems to feel obliged to overpraise her. She has dance and flexibility abilities but is over marked. Wonder if it’s just to get her and Kai to Blackpool/might change after that?"
Another noted: "Nah they absolutely overscore Angela R. #strictly it’s so bloody patronising! She is good for her age, but not 9 good!"
Carlos Gu accuses judge of being ‘rude’ after making a ‘personal dig’
Strictly professional Carlos Gu hit out at judge Craig Revel Horwood after his harsh words during last Saturday’s show.
Revel was brutal about the dancer’s choreography skills after he performed with celebrity partner Angela Scanlon.
Craig ranted: “I felt like you’d just run out of ideas at the end with all of that running about.
“That didn’t impressive me at all.”
Speaking on It Takes Two, Gu branded the judge’s comments “rude.”
How to watch Strictly while abroad
You will first have to download a VPN, like or onto the device you’ll be streaming iPlayer from.
Then you need to load the VPN and select a UK server, which will (legally) reroute your IP address to the UK.
You’ll then be able to head to iPlayer and stream Strictly Come Dancing with no trouble.
When did Bill Bailey win Strictly?
Bill Bailey and Oti Mabuse were crowned the winners of Strictly Come Dancing in 2020.
After performances from HRVY, Maisie Smith and Jamie Laing, entertainer Bill became the eldest contestant to ever take home the Giltterball trophy.
Announcing the result as the spectacular nine-week series came to an end, host Tess Daly said: “The moment we’ve all been waiting for… the Strictly champions of 2020 are Bill and Oti.”
Champion Bill said: “It feels surreal, extraordinary and wonderful.
“I never thought we would get this far. I never thought we’d get to the final.
“I’ve had the most extraordinary teacher and the most extraordinary dancer.
“Someone who has believed in me right from the beginning. She found something in me and turned me into this – into a dancer. Thank you Oti.”
What did Zara say after her exit?
Following her exit last night, Zara said: “I have had the time of my life. Just to be here is incredible.
“Thank you to the judges and my amazing partner, obviously.
“My fellow contestants are just incredible. It has been the most amazing experience. I can’t believe it’s over but I am going to be here in spirit every week supporting them.”
Ellie Leach new favourite to win Strictly Come Dancing
Ellie Leach continues to impress judges and fans alike, and now the Corrie star is Bookies favourite to take home the Glitterball trophy.
Spokesperson for , Lee Phelps, said: “After scoring a personal best of 38 points in Saturday’s Halloween Special, Ellie Leach is now our clear favourite to win this year’s edition of Strictly Come Dancing.
“The Coronation Street star has been in the shadows of previous favourites Bobby Brazier and Nigel Harman for most of the series but is now our 7/4 frontrunner following six weeks of the competition.
“Bobby and Nigel now find themselves 2/1 and 4/1 respectively for victory, with Layton Williams (8/1) rounding off the top four.”
Fans slam judges for 'over scoring' contestant
Some fans reckon Angela Rippon's time in the spotlight is being prolonged until at least the Blackpool stage of the contest as they slam judges for "over scoring" her.
At 79-years-old, Angelia is the oldest ever contestant to compete in the BBC primetime dancing show.
Because of her legendary career, some fans thinks that the judges which include, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and head judge Shirley Ballas are intentionally lenient when it comes to her scoring.
One fan claimed: "Angela R is a BBC institution so the show seems to feel obliged to overpraise her. She has dance and flexibility abilities but is over marked. Wonder if it’s just to get her and Kai to Blackpool/might change after that?"
