Overview
- Chris Appleton and professional Amy Dowden became the first couple eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing after losing a dance-off on Sunday when they were one of the two lowest-ranked pairs by combined judges' scores and public votes.
- Judges Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke all voted to save Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu in the dance-off and Craig Revel-Horwood said he would have made the same choice if required.
- Appleton and Dowden scored 16 for their opening-week tango and 17 for their movie-week cha-cha, with the pair repeating the cha-cha to 'I'll Be Ready' in the dance-off while Winstone and Gu danced to 'Oh, Pretty Woman'.
- The judges praised signs of improvement but criticised technical faults such as disconnected upper-body and hip movement, criticisms that the coverage says helped explain their low leaderboard position.
- Amy Dowden’s early exit halts a comeback narrative shaped by her 2023 breast cancer diagnosis, long-term Crohn’s disease and prior withdrawal through injury, and the programme will continue with the remaining couples while the eliminated pair appear on post-results shows.