Strictly Come Dancing has bid farewell to its first celebrity contestant of the 2024 series. On Saturday night, viewers at home were finally able to cast their votes after two weeks without any public voting in the competition. The announcement was made that singer Toyah Willcox and Olympic swimmer Tom Dean would be in the dreaded dance-off.
In the nail-biting showdown on Sunday night, Willcox and her partner Neil Jones performed a Jive to “Nutbush City Limits” by Ike & Tina Turner, while Dean and his partner Nadiya Bychkova danced a Cha Cha to “Boogie Wonderland” by Earth, Wind and Fire. The judges ultimately decided to save Toyah for her remarkable improvement in performance.
The judges, Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse, voted to save Toyah, while Anton Du Beke opted to save Dean and Bychkova. Dean expressed his gratitude for the experience on the show, mentioning that he had the best time and wished he could have continued further in the competition. Bychkova praised Dean as a true gentleman and highlighted the valuable lessons she had learned from him during their time together.
In week one, Dean had performed a Tango to “Golden” by Harry Styles, earning an overall score of 23 out of 40. On Sunday’s results show, the judges and professional dancers put on a captivating routine to “When Doves Cry” by Prince, along with a lively musical performance of “God Gave Me Feet for Dancing” by Ezra Collective featuring Yazmin Lacey.
Love Island star Tasha Ghouri and her partner Aljaž Škorjanec took the lead on the leaderboard with an exceptional Viennese Waltz to “Misty Blue” by Dorothy Moore, moving her father in the audience to tears. Following closely behind were Miranda star Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola with their passionate Paso Doble to “Freed From Desire” by Gala. Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu also made an impressive rise on the leaderboard with their Tango to “The Door” by Teddy Swims.
Next week, the remaining 14 couples will showcase their dance moves in a Movie Week special, each channeling a different film. Stay tuned for more exciting performances as the competition heats up on Strictly Come Dancing.