Strictly Come Dancing: Dev Griffin is the third star to be eliminated amid 'FIX' claims
Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 9:08 pm
Furore as fans brand show 'FIXED' claiming they 'COULDN'T VOTE' for the axed star
Dev Griffin has become the third celebrity to be eliminated from this year's Strictly Come Dancing, following an unexpected dance-off against Viscountess Emma Weymouth.
The radio host, 34, performed a Cha Cha to Dancing With A Stranger by Sam Smith and Normani on Saturday's instalment of the BBC show, and on Sunday, after performing it once again, the judges voted unanimously to save chef Emma.
On Saturday evening, fans of the show took to Twitter to claim that they 'couldn't vote' for Dev and his dance partner Dianne Buswell, because their designated 'phone line wouldn't accept calls,' with others viewers furiously branding the show a 'fix.'
A spokesperson for Strictly Come Dancing told MailOnline: 'The phone line blockages impacted all contestants equally — and that the likelihood of getting through was not dependent upon the celebrity fans wanted to vote for.'
Viewers vowed to boycott Strictly as they were left seething over this weekend's results, with one person tweeting: 'Makes me not wanna watch anymore when bulls**t like this happens he was way better #Strictly.'
As he learned of his fate, radio presenter Dev admitted his devastation, telling show host Tess Daly: 'I'm not going to lie I am absolutely gutted.'
Dev continued: 'But, learning how to dance, hanging out with Dianne and the other pros and celebs… I've absolutely loved it.'
Praising her celebrity dance partner, Dianne said: 'Dev has been absolutely amazing. His work ethic is insane. I see him everywhere practising and I couldn't have asked for a better partner.
'Thank you so much for all your time and your effort. This boy has so much talent, I'm really sad he won't be able to show you guys any more of it.'
The pair's early exit was particularly notable, as just last weekend, Dev and Dianne came second on the leaderboard thanks to an incredible performance to Friend Like Me from 2019's Aladdin remake.
This weekend, the stars competing on Strictly were tasked with giving their most impressive performances as they rook to the dancefloor to perform ballroom and Latin routines.
However, Dev and Dianne found themselves facing off on the dancefloor during Sunday's episode, after failing to overly impress the judges and the viewers at home.
The judges' scores were combined with the results of the viewers' votes to decide the lowest scoring two couples facing the dance off.
This week that was Dev Griffin and his professional partner Dianne Buswell and Viscountess Emma Weymouth and partner Aljaž Škorjanec.