It was an agonising exit for one couple
Strictly Come Dancing has confirmed which celebrity is the seventh contestant to be eliminated from the 23rd season, with the unlucky couple narrowly missing out on a spot at the iconic Tower Ballroom in Blackpool.
Saturday's (15 November) instalment saw the remaining eight pairs take to the dancefloor once more as they sought a place at the heralded venue, which is widely considered to be the spiritual home of ballroom dance.
Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin sat atop the leaderboard with 38 points for their Paso doble, while there was a tie at the bottom as Vicky Pattison and Balvinder Sopal accrued 27 points apiece for their respective dances with Kai Widdrington and Julian Caillon.
The latter two couples received the lowest votes from the public and were thus in tonight's dance-off, with each duo having to perform their routines again in a bid to impress the judges.
Vicky and Kai were eliminated after Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke all opted to save Balvinder and Julian. Craig Revel Horwood, who had the decisive vote on the night, said he agreed with his fellow judges.
Shirley said: "I found that one couple particularly accelerated from Saturday night, and the other couple was out of sync with each other." While Anton said the dance-off was "evenly contested" but Balvinder and Julian's routine was "cleaner".
"It was so lovely while it lasted, and I've had the nicest time," said Vicky following her exit. "I knew this week was a difficult one for me, and I tried my hardest as I have every week. Listen, I didn't think I’d get past week one.
"I'm really honoured to have shared this experience with so many amazing people. Mostly with this fella [Kai] right here. I don't want to sound too cheesy but you've been the best partner a girl can ask for.
"I'm so sorry I didn't get you to Blackpool but I feel like I've won just by having you as my partner and I'm so grateful… I'll miss everybody. I enjoyed it loads more than I thought I was going to."
"Oh, goodness me. Where do I start? You are everything that this series is about," said Kai to Vicky. "Strong, confident, independent - and all that I can say is, I have loved every single second.
"I'm going to be gutted not [going] to Blackpool with you on Monday. But I just want you to know that I feel like I have also won getting you as my partner, and you will live on in Strictly history forever."
While Vicky and Kai have been sent packing, Balvinder and Julian will march on merrily to the North West after surviving their fourth dance-off. With the big dancefloor at the Tower Ballroom to serve as inspiration, can they make a smoother progression next week?
https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/reality-tv/a69448750/strictly-come-dancing-vicky-pattison-kai-widdrington-exit/ 
Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2025 12:00 am