On the strength of the Week 11 performances, Cope had to go – and indeed all four judges opted to save Davies and her partner Nikita Kuzman. There was palpable shock among the judging panel, with Shirley Ballas describing herself as speechless at who was in the dance-off, and Du Beke stating that whoever was eliminated out of Cope and Davies would be “the best dancer we’ve ever had not to make the final”. When Tess Daly asked Du Beke which celebrity should stay in the competition, he spoke for the whole panel when he answered: “They should both stay.” In terms of average score, the pair were miles ahead of the rest of the pack, with Davies on 34.9 and Cope on 34.8. Karen Carney, in third, has averaged 31.6.
Cope’s professional partner, Katya Jones, was unable to hold back the tears as she described him as “the best male celebrity we have ever had on the show”. Astonishingly, when it was announced that he had been eliminated, Cope received a standing ovation from not just the studio audience but from the judges too. Ballas could be seen wiping away tears.
Despite seemingly not having the public onside, Davies will compete in next week’s semi-final, when the remaining four couples will perform two dances. Alongside her will be: Carney, the first footballer to make the semi-final stage; George Clarke, the lovable YouTuber who aced his Phantom of the Opera impression last night; and EastEnders actress Balvinder Sopal. Having survived an unprecedented fifth dance-off last week, it was assumed Sopal would be competing in a sixth tonight. However, a series-high score of 35, coupled with some emotional and effusive comments from the judges about her fighting spirit, seem to have rallied public support behind her.
An intriguing semi-final awaits next week. The judges, however, will be mourning the loss of one the most talented celebrity dancers ever to have taken to the Strictly dance floor.
