Vicky Pattison has become the seventh celebrity to leave Strictly Come Dancing — and viewers are calling it the “most shocking elimination yet” after the result leaked online while the show was still being filmed.

The 38-year-old TV star and her professional partner Kai Widdrington lost the dreaded dance-off to EastEnders actress Balvinder Sopal and Julian Caillon, missing out on next week’s iconic Blackpool special.

All four judges — Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke and Craig Revel Horwood — agreed Balvinder should stay, despite both couples finishing at the bottom of Saturday night’s leaderboard.

Visibly emotional, Vicky told host Tess Daly that she “knew this week was a difficult one” but poured her heart out as she thanked Kai. She said she felt honoured “to have shared this experience with so many amazing people,” adding that “Kai has been the best partner a girl can ask for” and that she felt like she had “won already by dancing with him.”

Kai, equally gutted, told her she embodied everything the series stands for — “strong, confident, independent” — and said he had “loved every single second” with her.

But it wasn’t the elimination that caused the explosion online — it was the leak.
Strictly’s Sunday results show is filmed secretly on Saturday with strict security, yet fans discovered the outcome in real time when spoilers began circulating before cameras even stopped rolling.

A production insider revealed that the leak has sparked “a whodunnit mystery gripping the set,” as bosses scramble to identify who keeps breaching confidentiality.

Social media was instantly flooded with fury and heartbreak as fans slammed the outcome as “wrong,” “devastating,” and “absolutely insane,” with many insisting Vicky had been a finalist-in-the-making. Some admitted they “needed a lie down” after seeing the spoiler.

Others defended the judges’ decision, saying the dance-off made the result “obvious” based on the night’s performances.

Saturday’s episode was already emotionally charged, with YouTube star George Clarke dedicating his Rhumba to his mother, watching from the audience as she continues her cancer battle. The touching routine, described by George as a “love letter to his family,” left Shirley Ballas in tears.

But despite the heartfelt moments, it was Vicky’s shock exit — combined with the live-filming leak — that turned Strictly week eight into one of the show’s biggest controversies yet.