Strictly fans left in tears following Sarah Hadland's 'emotional' tribute to late star

Matthew Moore
·2 min read
Sarah Hadland as Professor Minerva McGonagall sitting at a desk
(Guy Levy)

Sarah Hadland blew us away this week on Strictly, not just because of her Viennese Waltz, but also the emotional tribute behind the routine.

The Miranda actress dedicated her performance, which was to Hedwig's Theme from the Harry Potter franchise, to the late Dame Maggie Smith, who died last week. Dame Maggie was a major part of the film franchise, playing Gryffindor Head Professor Minerva McGonagall.

In the VT segment, Sarah and her partner Vito Coppola came up with the idea to dedicate their routine, and host Tess Daly hailed their "beautiful" tribute following the routine, which had a major impact on fans at home.

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One commented: "Maggie Smith tribute is making my heart ache, beautiful way to honour a wonderful actress," while a second added: "Sarah and Vito's dance was gorgeous! Lovely tribute to Dame Maggie."

Vito Coppola and Sarah Hadland dancing a Viennese Waltz
Fans were left emotional over Sarah and Vito's routine (Guy Levy)

Many others noted how the routine moved them to tears, with a third viewer saying: "Sobbing. Beautiful," and a fourth posted: "That genuinely moved me to tears. Sarah and Vito were beautiful."

The couple's dance was highly praised by the judges, with the foursome awarding the actress a score of 33 for the routine.

Dame Maggie Smith attends a screening of "The Lady In The Van" during the BFI London Film Festival at Odeon Leicester Square on October 13, 2015
The couple paid tribute to the late Dame Maggie (Getty)

Although fans were united in their love for Sarah's performance, they were a little more divided when it came to the opening professional number, which was inspired by the Despicable Me franchise.

Taking to social media, one said: "I can't tell if this is comedic gold or nightmare fuel," while a second mused: "Let's never do that again, alright? Cheers."

Kai Widdrington dressed as Gru with the orher professional dancers as Minions
The opening number divided fans (Kieron McCarron)

But plenty of others enjoyed the routine as one enthused: "One of the most fun professional dances yet," and another added: "This minions routine is genuinely the most unhinged thing I have ever laid eyes upon and I cannot help but stan."

Sadly, not all of the Strictly stars were able to take to the dancefloor this week, as Nick Knowles had to pull out of the live show following a knee injury.

Nick Knowles in a blue suit
Nick had to be absent from this week's show (Ray Burmiston)

"During our first dress rehearsal today, or run-through of the dance number on the stage, unfortunately I damaged my knee and it’s quite painful," he explained. "So the physios have decided I need to go for a MRI."

Luba continued: "Unfortunately we will not be dancing tomorrow but we really, really hope that the knee will be better for the next week and we'll be back on the dancefloor. Fingers crossed, we really hope that we'll be back and see you guys very soon."

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