Bethany Antonia has become the sixth celebrity to be voted off Strictly Come Dancing, after a tense dance-off that split the judges and divided viewers. The House of the Dragon actress, 28, and her professional partner Nancy Xu landed in the bottom two on Sunday night’s results show, facing Love Island star Cach Mercer and his partner Maddie Ingoldsby.
Antonia and Xu reprised their Foxtrot to Leona Lewis’s “Bleeding Love”, the dance that had earned them 30 points on Saturday night, while Mercer and Ingoldsby repeated their Waltz to “That Ain’t You” by Mulaa Joans, which had scored 26. It was the second week in a row that Antonia and Xu had faced the dance-off, having survived a historic three-couple dance-off during Halloween Week.
Shirley Ballas casts the deciding vote
The judges could not agree. Anton Du Beke voted to save Mercer and Ingoldsby, while Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse both chose to keep Antonia and Xu, with Mabuse calling their dance one of the best of the night. That left head judge Shirley Ballas with the casting vote, and she chose to save Mercer and Ingoldsby, sending Antonia and Xu home.
The decision has caused a stir among viewers, many of whom pointed out that Antonia and Xu had finished four points ahead of their rivals on Saturday. Fans have flooded social media with support for the actress, who fought back tears as she said goodbye to her professional partner, while Nancy Xu delivered a heartfelt tribute in the final moments.
What next for Strictly Come Dancing
Antonia, who plays Lady Baela Targaryen in HBO’s House of the Dragon, had been paired with Xu in one of this year’s same-sex partnerships, and their run had won praise for its chemistry and ambition. Sunday’s results show also marked Remembrance Sunday, with the professionals performing a poignant group routine choreographed by Lizzie Gough and set to Peter Gabriel’s arrangement of “Heroes”. The remaining couples return to the BBC ballroom on Saturday, 14 November, as the competition intensifies ahead of the much-anticipated annual trip to Blackpool’s Tower Ballroom on 21 November.
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