First Strictly contestant eliminated following tense dance-off: 'I wish I could have gone further'
Tom Dean is the first celebrity to be eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing 2024. After landing in the bottom two, the Olympian faced off against singer and actress Toyah Willcox in Sunday's dance-off.
Tom and his professional partner, Nadiya Bychkova took to the dancefloor, performing their cha cha to Boogie Wonderland by Earth, Wind & Fire for a second time. Meanwhile, Toyah and her dance partner, Neil Jones reprised their jive to Nutbush City Limits by Ike & Tina Turner.
Following the dance-off, Anton Du Beke voted to save Tom and Nadiya, however, his fellow judges – Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel Horwood and Shirley Ballas – voted to save Toyah and Neil.
In an emotional moment, Tom reflected on his Strictly journey. "I've had the best time the last few weeks and getting to work with Nadiya has been incredible," he said.
"I wish I could have gone further and done more dances. I've had the most fun and I wish we could keep going longer and longer. We'll still go out for loads of brunches I'm sure."
Nadiya, who joined Strictly in 2017, was quick to sing his praises. Calling Tom a "true gentleman," she added: "He taught me how to work really hard and how to put everything in.
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And you know what? On this programme, sometimes to win, you don't need to win, and that's how I feel this year."
An action-packed results show, fans also watched as the professional dancers and judges performed an "avant-garde gothic tango" routine to Prince's When Doves Cry and New Order's Blue Monday.
With series 22 in full swing, the remaining 14 couples will return for movie week on Saturday 5 October. The line-up of routines are yet to be confirmed.
Currently, Tasha Ghouri and Sarah Hadland have already emerged as this year's top contenders for the coveted Glitterball trophy.
During week one, Tasha and her partner Aljaž Škorjanec bagged themselves a respectable 30 with their cha cha to Sabrina Carpenter's song of the summer 'Espresso'. They followed up with a score of 35 during week two, with judge Craig calling it the "dance of the night."
As for Miranda star Sarah, the actress and her partner Vito Coppola, were awarded a 30 with their Quickstep routine. In week two, the duo received a 32 thanks to their Paso Doble to Freed From Desire by Gala.
Chris McCausland is another favourite this season. The comedian, who has made history as Strictly's first-ever blind contestant, received a standing ovation in week one after performing the cha cha alongside Dianne Buswell.
