On Sunday night’s instalment of Strictly Come Dancing, BBC viewers saw two celebrities land in the dreaded dance-off.
Tianna Corbin TV Reporter
21:48, 26 Oct 2025
Actress Balvinder Sopal was struggling to compose herself during the latest episode of Strictly Come Dancing. On Sunday night, the remaining contestants discovered which of them were saved by the public and continued in the competition.
Over the weekend, the celebrities on the BBC show took to the dancefloor to honour musical legends for Icons Week, with Vicky Pattison receiving a special message during the live show.
However, as the leaderboard scores were all extremely close, fans were unsure which stars could be performing again for the judges in a bid to stay in the competition.
When it came to announcing who was safe, Balvinder heard her name called first. It was clear both she and her professional partner, Julian Caillon were shocked after hearing their names, having been in the dance-off for two weeks in a row.
The duo were in clear shock that they had avoided the dance-off(Image: BBC)READ MORE: Strictly Come Dancing’s Vito Coppola praised as fans spot ‘sweet’ moment with EllieREAD MORE: Strictly’s Dani Dyer makes BBC show comeback after being forced to quit
Later on, they spoke to Claudia Winkleman to explain how they were feeling and it was clear the EastEnders actress was overwhelmed.
When asked what she wants to say to the public, she commented: “I think first of all, I want to say thank you to every single person that voted for us.”
Hearing the emotion in her voice, Julian pulled Balvinder in for a hug as she continued: “I didn’t think we were going to be here. When they called our names out, I was a little bit like, ‘There’s been a mistake’. But I mean, wow. Thank you.”
Balvinder Sopal was emotional after being saved on the BBC show(Image: BBC)
Julian embraced her in a hug again, whilst the rest of the saved celebrities gave her a round of applause. The pro praised Balvinder for bouncing back after being in not one but two dance-offs.
He added: “It’s really hard to keep turning up, that’s the hardest thing you can do and Bal, you’ve done that. You keep turning up, and you got your reward now, we can relax for a little bit. I’m just so proud of you.”
Sadly, BBC viewers saw Amber Davies and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in the dance-off, both having to perform their routines for the judges again.
In the end, it was a unanimous decision from the panel to keep Amber in the competition, ending Jimmy’s time on the show.
Amber Davies and Jimmy Floyd found themselves in the dance-off on Sunday night
Speaking about his time on the show with Tess Daly, he commented: “I have absolutely loved my experience. I can only say thank you very much for letting me have this experience, and to my daughters for pushing me to come here and do this.
“I never expected that I would enjoy it this much. The people behind the scenes, from the wardrobe people to the hairdressers to the make-up people, are absolutely magnificent – thank you very much.
“This experience is going to live with me forever. Most importantly, [to Lauren], this girl is just absolutely incredible. She has been absolutely amazing with me. [To Lauren] You are a diamond.”
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday 1 November at 6.35pm.