Who succumbed to the first dance-off?
Strictly Come Dancing aired the first dance-off of the 2023 series, with Les Dennis & Nancy Xu becoming the first couple to be eliminated.
The pair were joined in the dance-off by Nikita Kanda and Gorka Márquez after the results of the public vote, with each couple being given one more chance to impress the four judges before the all-important votes.
After the final dances, the couple found their fate, with all four judges – Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabusi, Anton Du Beke and Shirley Ballas – opting to save Nikita and Gorka, meaning Les and Nancy would be the first couple to exit the series.
“I’ve had the best time,” said Les following his exit, with the comedian paying tribute to his professional partner. ”This lady has been amazing, a great teacher, she’s really put me through my paces. I did as well as I could for you, I hope!
“That lot up there, I’m going to miss you so much. I really appreciate and understand the judge’s point of view, thank you so much for giving me a 10 for entertainment. I hope I’ve entertained, that’s what I came here for. Strictly is the best and the people who put this on, you’re just all amazing.”
“It’s been a journey. This is such a short but sweet journey,” added Nancy. “A lot of challenges we all know, but to see you every day improve yourself. I respect you so, so much.
“I just want to say thank you to the judges and all my fellow friends. Thank you Strictly Come Dancing for all of your support. Thank you Les.”
Les and Nancy finished bottom of the leaderboard in both weeks, scoring 16 and 15 for the Tango and Samba respectively. The second week saw Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin top the leaderboard, scoring a sensational 36 for their Quickstep.
