Strictly Come Dancing LIVE: George Clarke begs for votes after ‘disaster’ performance
Strictly Come Dancing star George Clarke has begged fans to vote for him to stay in the competition after his ‘disasterclass’ routine to Harry Styles’ As It Was
Strictly Come Dancing star George Clarke has asked fans for help. The TikTok star has turned to social media, urging his followers to vote for him. His and Alexis Warr’s routine to As It Was by Harry Styles saw them placed at the bottom of the leaderboard, with a score of just 27.
Elsewhere this evening, the show had an unexpected appearance from Cheryl Tweedy. The celebs taking part this week took to the dance floor for Icons Week, where the likes of Cheryl, Harry, Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash were celebrated.
Tonight’s live show marked the first time Tess and Claudia have returned to the ballroom since the shock news that they had decided to step down as show hosts at the end of this series. The pair, who have decided to “pass on the sparkly baton”, have been fronting the programme together for 14 years – while Tess has been hosting since the show’s conception 21 years ago, as she first presented alongside Sir Bruce Forsyth, before Claudia filled his shoes in 2014.
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Fans heartbroken as George Clarke decides to apologise
George Clarke and Alexis Warr found themselves at the bottom of the leader board after scoring just 27 for their Jive to Harry Styles hit As It Was. In a backstage video, the TikTok star told his professional partner: “I had fun until I did things wrong.” She told him to stop it but her and continued: “I just apoloigse for not doing your choreo and your effort.”
Upon seeing this, one fan said: “This breaks my heart man. the way he said sorry to alexis too, I hope he knows we’re proud of him,” and another joked: “The judges need to be careful, they’ll be a swarm of George’s fangirls with pitchforks if they keep underscoring him like this!”
Shortly after the programme came off air, George took to Instagram where he wrote: “Gonna need all the votes I can get after that disasterclass…”
Strictly Come Dancing legend reacts to ‘dance of the night’ as she praises ‘perfect’ star
Emmerdale star Lisa Riley, who plays Mandy Dingle on the Yorkshire-based soap, did not hold back when naming her highlight of the evening. The TV star, who competed on Strictly in 2012, was very impressed with Vicky Pattison’s routine that was set to Cheryl track Fight For This Love.
She said: “Dance of the night so far! the real joy of Vicky Pattison is her putre natural joy both on and off the dance floor – Vicky is perfect by NOT being perfect. Name me one girl from the North (including myself) who doesn’t want to dress up as our Northern Queen @cherylofficail! ‘Fight for EVERYTHING babes!!!'”
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Vicky Pattison moves fans to tears with Cheryl Tweedy routine
Fans rejoiced when Vicky performed dressed as Cheryl and was then surprised with a video message from the pop star herself. It was enough to move some viewers to tears, with one writing on social media: “Cheryl’s message on #strictly [crying emoji,” and another said: “Well Vicki made me cry tonight. Dancing Cheryl, her idol’s dance. That was fab [red heart emoji]”
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Fans call for La Voix to become Strictly Come Dancing’s next presenter
Ever since Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman announced their decision to step down as presenters of Strictly Come Dancing, speculation has been rife on their replacements, with established stars such as Roman Kemp and Holly Willoughby amongst the favourites. But in a moment that had fans in stitches, La Voix took over hosting duties for a split-second mid show and now viewers have called for her to have the top job.
One said: “La Voix for #Strictly presenter! #Strictly #Strictlycomedancing #scd,” and another said: “La Voix is hilarious, too funny, entertaining and so quick witted, sarcastic, charismatic with the humour and comebacks!”
A third added: “Hear me out #Strictly but actually I love the idea of La Voix presenting Strictly every week. I absolutely love her!”
KEY EVENT
TikTok star George Clarke begs for votes after ‘disaster’ of a performance
YouTube and TikTok star George Clarke was less-than-impressed with his score of 27, which left him and Alexis Warr at the bottom of the leader board. He had dressed Harry Styles to do the Jive to As It Was, but Craig Revel Horwood said it had a”all went horribly wrong.” Shortly after the programme came off air, George took to Instagram where he wrote: “Gonna need all the votes I can get after that disasterclass…”
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KEY EVENT
Lewis and Katya come out on top!
This week, Emmerdale star Lewis and Katya came out on top with a score of 34 whilst George and Alexis landed in last place with 27. Tomorrow, the judge with the casting vote in the dance-off will be Anton Du Beke.
Lewis and Katya – 34
Vicky and Kai – 33
Amber and Nikita – 33
Alex and Johannes – 32
Harry and Karen 30
Jimmy and Lauren – 30
Karen and Carlos – 28
Ellie and Vito – 28
Balvinder and Jullian – 28
La Voix and Aljaz – 28
George and Alexis – 27
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La Voix scores 28 as Shirley says ‘What a comeback!’
Craig – 6
Motsi – 7
Shirley – 7
Anton – 8
KEY EVENT
LaVoix closes Icons Week by belting out Cher classic in ‘moment of redemption’
Not satifised with the idea of executing an electrifying Salsa to Strong Enough, Drag Race star LaVoix, who has released her own music like The Show Isn’t Over, closed out the show by singing Believe live before going on to her routine that was set to Strong Enough. Motsi said: “I think I just have to forget last week, you just wiped it away.” Shirley said it was “definitely better than a two,” referencing her low score from last week.
Having the last laugh, LaVoix quipped: “Shirley, Cher is 79, she wouldn’t have been able to do all that!”
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Jimmy and Lauren score 30!
Craig – 7
Motsi – 8
Shirley – 7
Anton – 8
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Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink shows ‘completely different side’ with routine set to iconic Prince classic
Football star Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink and Lauren Oakley did the American Smooth to Prince classic Purple Rain, receiving praise from Craig over their ‘absolutely magnificient’ timing. He added: “It’s just so wonderful seeing a completely different side to you.”
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Amber and Nikita score 33
Craig – 8
Motsi – 8
Shirley – 8
Anton – 9
KEY EVENT
Musical theatre star Amber Davies ‘touching a 10’ as she becomes Ariana Grande
Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin did the cha cha cha to Break Free by Ariana Grande. As a superfan of the Wicked star, Amber was thrilled to receive positive feedback from the judges, with Shirley praising Amber’s footwork and Craig noting that it was a ‘really, and truly great dance.” Motsi insisted that if she just listens to the feedback, she will be looking at a score of 10 in no time.
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Harry and Karen score a 30!
Craig – 6
Motsi – 9
Shirley – 7
Anton – 8
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Motsi Mabuse and Craig Revel Horwood clash over Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and Karen Hauer’s tango to Usher classic
Gladiators star Harry and professional Karen did the Argentine tango to Usher hit caught up and Craig was instantly booed when he said the pair were just ‘walking through it.” He added: “You were just standing, placing, standing placing and not dancing from step to step.”
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La Voix dresses as Cher as she asks Claudia Winkleman if there are ‘any jobs going’
La Voix had the live studio audience in stitches as she grabbed Claudia Winkleman to ask if there were any job vacancies going. The drag queen dressed as Cher this week and before taking to the stage to close the show, she grabbed Claudia following the news that she and Tess Daly have quit as hosts. She said: “Claudia, while I’ve got you, do you know of the address where I send my CV to the BBC, just in case there’s any new jobs going?” Claudia invited her to have a go at it herself. Throwing the action over to Tess Daly, La Voix simply said: “Tess,” and the audience howled with laughter.
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Balvinder and Julian score 28
The soap star and her professional parnter scored 28, with all four judges giving them 7.
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Balvinder becomes Beyonce!
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Vicky and Kai score 33
Craig – 8
Motsi – 8
Shirley – 8
Anton – 9
KEY EVENT
Cheryl makes rare TV appearance as she sends support to fellow Geordie lass Vicky Pattison
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KEY EVENT
Vicky Pattison becomes emotional as she says she can ‘relate’ to fellow Geordie icon Cheryl
This week, Vicky and Kai Widdrington danced their couple’s choice to Fight For This Love, and Vicky noted that she could ‘relate’ to her fellow Geordie girl before they took to the stage to dance to the Girls Aloud star’s first solo hit.
In an emotional VT, Vicky who shot to fame on Geordie Shore in 2011, said: “I’m not letting the past define me. I worked on myself and now I’m happy with the woman I’ve become.” Read everything Vicky had to say about her fellow North East lass here.
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Amber Davies begs Ariana Grande to follow her on Instagram
Dressed as Wicked star and thank u next hitmaker Ariana Grande, musical theatre actress Amber Davies begged the pop princess to follow her on Instagram before she and Nikita Kuzmin took to the stage.
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George and Alexis score 27
Craig – 6
Motsi – 7
Shurley – 6
Anton – 8
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George Clarke becomes Harry Styles
YouTuber George Clarke became One Direction star Harry Styles, and he and Alexis Warr did the Jive to the singer’s hit song As It Was. Afterwards, Motsi warned them to ‘concentrate’ even though everything was ‘improving’ within his Strictly journey.
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Alex and Johannes score 32
Craig – 7
Motsi – 8
Shirley – 8
Anton – 9
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Alex Kingston admits ‘I thought I was going to hate it…’ as she becomes Dolly Parton
Last week’s top scorer on the leaderboard, Alex Kingston, became Dolly Parton to perform the Foxtrot to the country crooner’s classic Here You Come Again with Johannes Radebe.
Motsi said: “This dancing is so tough, I tell you but you look like you’re floating on air. You did have a little hiccup, there, I saw it, I saw it. But you just kept it up!”
Afterwards, Alex admitted: “I spend half the week thinking I’m going to hate it, but then halfway through I realise that I love it!”
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Ellie and Vito score 28
Craig – 6
Motsi – 8
Shirley – 7
Anton – 7
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Emma Bunton sends Ellie a message of support
Ellie was shocked after her performance when Spice Girls legend Emma Bunton sent in a video message of support. She said: “I have been watching you every week and then I heard that you’re my favourite Spice Girl! I’m honoured and I just want to tell you that you’re a superstar! The other girls are sending all their love, good luck with the scores, big kiss to Vito!”
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Ellie becomes all of the Spice Girls
For her salsa set to a Spice Girls medley, model Ellie Goldstein became Ginger, Scary, Sporty, Baby and Posh in her VT and then dressed in Emma Bunton’s signature baby pink for the poptastic performance. Craig Revel Horwood received boos after saying her transitions need to be ‘smoother’ but praised her for her electrifying personality. Motsi Mabuse added: “You are a force, keep going!”
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Karen and Carlos score 28
The pair’s effort scored them a total of 28, with all four judges opting to give them a 7 each.
KEY EVENT
Karen Carney admits she’s ‘a bit gutted’ before Claudia Winkelman steps in to comfort her
During her post-dance chat with Claudia Winkleman, Karen admitted: “I’ve learned about eight different walks. Sorry, I’m a little bit gutted.” But Carlos cheered her up by saying ‘proud’ would be an understatement. Claudia reached out an arm to her and said: “No, baby, I don’t want you to be upset.” Read more about that here.
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Karen and Carlos ‘go a little bit wrong in the middle’ of Rumba to Celine Dion
Lioness Karen Carney and Carlos Gu set about doing the Rumba to Celine Dion’s Think Twice. Afterwards, Shirley said: “The whole look of how you’re dancing today is just lovely. You’ve picked the hardest Rumba walks to do, which I thought you executed very, very well.” She noted that it went ‘a little bit wobbly’ in the middle, and Anton echoed the remark, but all judges were overall impressed with their first attempt at a slow dance.
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Lewis and Katya score 34!
Craig – 9
Motsi – 9
Shirley – 8
Anton – 8
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Lewis and Katya are ‘perfect start to evening’
Emmerdale star Lewis Cope and Katya Jones kicked off Icons week with the Quickstep to Johnny Cash classic Ring of Fire. They received praise acorss the board from the judges, with Motsi Mabuse claiming it was ‘exactly how to open a show’ and they were the ‘perfect start’ to the night. Shirley noted their co-ordination will ‘get better’ as they progress throughout but was overall pleased with the performance.
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KEY EVENT
Tess and Claudia address bombshell news of exit
There was nowhere to start this week other than the news that Tess and Claudia are set to leave at the end of this series.
Claudia said: “We want to thank you for your beautiful messages, we’ve got another eight weeks on this incredible show,” and Tess added: “We cannot wait to spend the rest of the show with you, with our amazing couples and of course with these four, please welcome the judges.”
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Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink admits he’s ‘frustrated and angry’ just hours before show
He may be doing well in the competition with professional partner Lauren Oakley, but sports star Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink revealed just hours before the show that he is struggling with his perfectionism in rehearsals. Speaking about mastering the moves, he said: “The first hit, I do them, and then after the third time trying, I complicate things, and I end up thinking too much about it and overcomplicating it, and then getting frustrated with myself and getting angry.” Read Lauren’s reaction to that here.
Strictly’s Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink left ‘frustrated and angry’ by weekly mistake (Image: PA)
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Pregnant Dianne Buswell hits back at cruel trolls who criticised her dancing
Dianne Buswell has made history as the first professional dancer to be pregnant on the show. Whilst she is no longer in the competition after her partner Stefan Dennis had to withdraw over a leg injury, she took to social media to post a video of herself doing a cartwheel to hitback at the cruel trolls who complained about her dancing. Read more about that here.
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Fans ‘still gutted’ that they won’t see Stefan Dennis perform
Neighbours legend Stefan Dennis had to quit this week over a leg injury in yet another blow for the BBC competition. Less than half an hour before the latest show went to air on Saturday, fans of the soap star flooded social media confessing they still couldn’t believe he wouldn’t be there. One fan wrote on X: “Still a bit gutted about this and it’s such a shame after seeing their reaction last week. Team Aussie were a joy to watch. They will definitely be missed tonight,” whilst another said: “Aw, such a shame about Stefan & Dianne!! But super happy for them that they left on a high!”
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KEY EVENT
What time does Strictly Come Dancing start tonight?
Strictly Come Dancing is scheduled to kick off at 6.35pm on BBC One. This week’s theme is Icon’s Week, which will see the couple’s dance to songs by their favourite musical icons. The theme was introduced last year to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Strictly.
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Last week’s leaderboard
Week 4 saw Alex Kingston and Johannes top the leaderboard with a total of 36 points from the judges. Lewis Cope and Katya Jones came in second place with 34 points while Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin took third place with 33 points.
The other end of the leaderboard saw La Voix and Aljaž Škorjanec at the bottom with 14 points after La Voix struggled with her dance. Chris Robshaw and Nadiya Bychkova came in 12th place with 24 points and Stefan Dennis and Dianne Buswell were in 11th with 26 points.
For use in UK, Ireland or Benelux countries only BBC handout photo of Alex Kingston and Johannes Radebe during their appearance on the live show of Saturday’s Strictly Come Dancing show on BBC1. Issue date: Saturday October 18, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: Not for use more than 21 days after issue. You may use this picture without charge only for the purpose of publicising or reporting on current BBC programming, personnel or other BBC output or activity within 21 days of issue. Any use after that time MUST be cleared through BBC Picture Publicity. Please credit the image to the BBC and any named photographer or independent programme maker, as described in the caption.
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KEY EVENT
Tess and Claudia’s bombshell announcement
On Thursday morning, Tess and Claudia shocked Strictly fans as they released a joint video on Instagram which featured them both announcing their decision to quit Strictly.
In the video, Claudia began with: “Hi it’s Claud and Tess. There have been some rumblings and we want you to hear this from us…”
Tess then added: “Yeah we have news. After 21 wonderfully joyful years on Strictly we have decided the time is right to step aside and pass on the baton…”
Read their full statements here
