The score of 23 for her cha-cha-cha with professional partner Johannes Radebe was among the lowest ever for this stage of the competition – only three celebrities have ever received a lower score in week 10. Sopal fared only a little better, getting 28 for her jive with Julian Caillon, but her routine was a belter. Once she had ironed out the mistakes in the dance-off, it was no surprise to see her saved by the judges – though Anton Du Beke voted to save Kingston and Radebe. Sopal also performed superbly in the Instant Dance challenge, coming second to hot favourite Lewis Cope, which may have influenced the other judges’ decisions.
“I’ve never made mistakes like that before,” said Kingston, who has been a hugely enjoyable and elegant performer up until this point. “There’s always a first time for everything,” she sighed. It was the first time she had been in a dance-off in the series, and while she put in a better dance on the second occasion, it was still a brittle and unusually tense performance (compounded, no doubt, by that rib). While Kingston seemed resigned to being sent home, Sopal looked stunned to be saved yet again. It’s highly likely the Albert Square matriarch will make more history next week by competing in an unprecedented sixth dance-off. But who would write off 2025’s dance-off destroyer?
The remaining five couples now look forward to the quarter-finals, which will include a “brand-new high-stakes dance challenge”, which more than likely will be won by golden boy Cope. As it is Musicals Week, we can expect further scrutiny of the inclusion of the Welsh Love Island winner Amber Davies, who received some criticism earlier in the series for her prior dance experience – ironically, she is a stage musical star. For Kingston, a seasoned stage actress, missing out on this celebration of theatre will make tonight hurt that little bit more.
