Coronation Street actor Will Mellor and his partner Nancy Xu took to the dance floor for a slow and emotional foxtrot to Sun And Moon by Miss Saigon (`/Guy Levy).
Strictly Come Dancing contestants received mostly positive feedback from the judges during the final week of the competition as they competed for a spot in the semifinals.
Strictly’s performance show was moved a day earlier from Saturday to Friday this week due to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Both Coronation Street actor Will Mellor and presenter Helen Skelton received top marks from the judges with 39 points during the musical week.
This is the second week that Mellor, 46, has achieved a top spot on the leaderboard as he was widely praised by the judges for his slow and emotional foxtrot to Miss Saigon’s Sun And Moon.
Shirley Ballas, 62, applauded the “sincere performance of soul” along with his footwork.
Anton Du Beke also said Mellor has a tricky dance step, the three-step, right, that “nobody does.”
After Skelton and her partner Gorka Marquez performed a high-energy and fun couple’s choice of Cabaret’s Mein Herr – meaning they didn’t have to perform a traditional dance this time – they received a standing ovation from Ballas.
Ballas told the 39-year-old: “Am I looking at a triple mummy?
“Looking at a young lady who has gone from being a shy, shy girl from week one to this sensual performance.
“I have goosebumps … it was a memory I will cherish forever.”
After being on Strictly Dance-Off last week, radio host Fleur East and her dance partner Vito Coppola returned to form with a quick quickstep to I Got Rhythm by An American In Paris.
The 35-year-old singer received a standing ovation from judges Ballas and Motsi Mabuse as Du Beke, 56, said in next week’s semifinals: “As far as I’m concerned, you’re in”.
Mabuse, 41, said: “At the end of the day we sprinkle on some magic (the end of the show) and that was you.”
Both East and fellow actress Molly Rainford received 38 points for their performances.
22-year-old Rainford and her partner Carlos Gu performed an upbeat Charleston to Chicago’s Hot Honey Rag, also earning a standing ovation from Ballas and Mabuse.
Ballas said, “What a way to open the show, I wasn’t expecting that … You looked like you were having fun.”
She was criticized by Craig Revel Horwood, 57, for her “low elbow” but also praised for her transformation as a dancer during the competition.
Game cameraman Hamza Yassin received 36 points for his samba on They Live In You from The Lion King with his professional partner Jowita Przystal.
The 32-year-old received a standing ovation from Mabuse, who said he made her “happy”, while Du Beke said he was “a bit overwhelmed” by the performance.
Horwood said it was “brilliant” but criticized Yassin for some of his techniques.
Former Hear’Say singer Kym Marsh, who returned to the dance floor after missing last week’s show after testing positive for Covid-19, found herself in last place with 34 points.
The 46-year-old, who is also a former Coronation Street actress, performed a high-energy, ’80s-style cha-cha-cha-cha to Fame from Fame with partner Graziano Di Prima.
Mabuse said she “shone all the time,” but said she would have “liked more rotation” when she said Marsh “came back with a bang.”
Meanwhile, Ballas said, “There’s no hiding behind a costume (in a leotard) here… you didn’t miss a beat.”
Strictly Come Dancing continues on ` One.
Comments are closed.