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Strictly Come Dancing has reached week 10 of its 2025 series, which means the stars can practically smell the quarter-finals.
The six remaining couples are returning to perform after last week’s Blackpool extravaganza, in which everyone made it through after La Voix’s untimely departure from the BBC competition due to an injury.
At the start of last Saturday night’s episode, hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman announced that the Drag Race UK star had sadly left the competition for good after originally withdrawing for just one week.
Going into the latest episode, Lewis Cope is the firm favourite after becoming the first celebrity to receive a perfect 40 score from the judges.
One star who is at a disadvantage this week is Alex Kingston, who suffered a dislocated rib – but it was confirmed on companion show It Takes Two that the ER and Doctor Who actor would be competing as normal.
The other remaining stars in the competition include Balvinder Sopal, Amber Davies, Karen Carney and George Clarke.
Follow along below for all the live updates
Here’s a suitably speedy take on the first three couples…
Alex: She smashed the rumba before and she’s doing it again! I was worried for her having to rumba but actually the slower style has meant she’s able to confer throughout.
George: That horrible fur coat has come off immediately. And they’re pulling off some solid Tango steps! And it’s ended with a lift! Silly and fun… but not sure how it stands up as a tango?
Lewis: Oh Katya has fully choreographed this. She does not mess around and I love it. And he’s ended it by jumping through a hoop she made with her legs? Sorry, it really is hard to describe.
Rachel McGrath29 November 2025 19:58
Ok this is delivering on the chaos, I’m a fan. Kudos to the couples who have managed to match their outfits.
On the pros’ set of stairs, Katya is taking it very seriously with a warm-up. On the celebs’ set of stairs, there are lots of scared faces.
Each couple will have 10 seconds to prepare together and then they have to perform for 40 seconds. Let’s go…
Rachel McGrath29 November 2025 19:53
Styles for Instant Dance challenge revealed
Each couple is finding out their dance style, choosing their clothes and then heading for a speedy change before taking to the floor.
Here are the styles everyone is dancing…
- Alex and Johannes: It’s a… Rumba!
- George and Alexis: Tango
- Lewis and Katya: Jive
- Balvinder and Julian: Paso Doble
- Karen and Carlos: Cha cha
- Amber and Nikita: Samba!
Just to add – these costumes are chaos, neither pair has picked together so none of them will match.
Rachel McGrath29 November 2025 19:46
This better be the chaos they’ve been promising.
Rachel McGrath29 November 2025 19:40
Watch: Alex says fatigue led to mistakes
Alex had a bit of shocker tonight. Speaking to Claudia, she explained a little bit about what’s happened, admitting the overall fatigue from training has made things difficult.
Here’s what she had to say…
Strictly’s Alex Kingston says ‘moment of fatigue’ led to dance mistakes
Rachel McGrath29 November 2025 19:39
Amber receives the second perfect score of the night
Here are the judges’ comments for Amber… Shirley: “You had a tollgate, a very difficult step. Your performing was outstanding, your footwork was outstanding/ The posture was great. You were sensational.”
Anton: “I wrote down ‘I love energy’. It was so brilliant that’s basically all I wrote.”
Craig: “Now for the truth… Fab-u-lous.”
Motsi: “The thing with such an iconic song is you could go wild, I commend you for keeping it tight, keeping it energised.”
Amber’s scores are… 10, 10, 10 and 10 – that’s a total of 40!
Rachel McGrath29 November 2025 19:37
Amber pulls off a non-stop jive
With the last of the regular dances, it’s Amber and Nkita performing a jive.
This choreography – to “Proud Mary” – is great and the routine is fast. There is no let-up whatsoever. Amber has faltered very slightly but it’s nothing compared to some of the other mistakes tonight (which were total howlers).
Rachel McGrath29 November 2025 19:33
Emotional Karen lands perfect score
Oh no, Karen is crying! The crowd are going wild, though.
Here are the judges’ comments…
Craig: “That dance got you into the Champions’ League, darling.”
Motsi: “Girl… this was just everything. This is a step up. This is the next level. Congratulations. You knocked it out of the park.”
Shirley: “I’m emotional because I love a strong woman, you are a superstar. You are just progressing. You’re committed, the choreography was outstanding.”
Anton: “This was an absolute celebration of you. I’m going to take a phrase from my friend down the end. That was Ah. May. Zing.”
Karen’s scores are… 10 (yes!!), 10, 10 and 10 – 40!!
Rachel McGrath29 November 2025 19:28
Karen breakdances in Couple’s Choice
The track choice – “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga – is brilliant so that was a great start.
And this routine is brilliant – it’s fun, powerful and celebratory. And packed with different styles! Including break-dancing?! I love it. It’s *so* Karen, in all the best ways.
Rachel McGrath29 November 2025 19:23
The story behind Karen’s Couple’s Choice
It’s Couple’s Choice time for Karen and Carlos! These two struggled to agree on a dance style for this one so I’ve really been looking forward to seeing what they’ve settled on.
Explaining the story behind her Couple’s Choice, Karen spoke in her VT about her footballing career, which saw her make her debut first team appearance aged just 14.
Karen said she has struggled with receiving abuse online during her punditry career. Particularly, one incident. “It completely knocked my confidence, and I’ve not been able to get it back,” she said.
Rachel McGrath29 November 2025 19:22