By Olivia Christie Published: 13:31 EDT, 2 November 2024 | Updated: 15:11 EDT, 2 November 2024 Advertisement
Strictly Come Dancing celebrities will tonight pay homage to legendary musical artists when they take part in the inaugural Icons Week with their professional partners.Songs by Whitney Houston, Madonna and Taylor Swift are set to accompany ballroom routines while George Michael, The Beatles and Shirley Bassey will also be heard.Amy Dowden will miss out this week following her hospitalisation last Saturday with Lauren Oakley taking her place to perform alongside JB Gill.Follow live coverage of Icons Week below and join in the conversation in our comments sectionGood evening!Hello and welcome to MailOnline’s live coverage of the Strictly Come Dancing live show on Icons week.Ten celebrities will take to the ballroom tonight all hoping to avoid the dreaded dance off.Last week, the undoubted stars of the show were EastEnders’Jamie Borthwick Sarah Hadland who each scored a near faultless 38 points.While Shayne Ward was saved by the judges as Dr Purnam Krishnan was sent packing when they faced off on Sunday.So who will become the ‘legend’ of Icons Week and who will go home?Stick with us to find out as we guide you through tonight’s show and join in by posting your thoughts in our comments section.Can Chris and Dianne’s pull off a ‘tango-tastic’ performanceChris received mixed reviews from the judges as he opened Strictly’s Halloween Week last Saturday. But this week he was back with a Tango to Rock and Roll All Nite by KISS. Craig said the sidestep was ‘completely out of time’ but he travelled beautifully across the floor. Motsi added that Chris looked ‘more comfortable’ than last week.Then judges scored them 6, 7, 8, 8 for a total of 29 pointsScores are in for Sam and NikitaThat’s 6, 8, 7, 8 for a total of 29 points. Although it’s two less than last week, Sam will no doubt be pleased with that performance.It’s a love story from (most) judges for Sam and Nikita Sam Quek and Nikita took to the dancefloor to perform an American Smooth to Love Story by Taylor Swift. The couple were looking to match their dance from last week when they scored a great 31 points. All judges said Sam is on a great track and tonight’s dance was no difference. However, Craig said the performance was too stiff and need to be loosened up. ‘I love you’: Positive feedback for Wynne as he breaks into songOpera singer Wynne broke into song at the end of his performance which was praised by the judges. He also spoke about how he has struggled with his mental health and found the song by his Welsh compratriot ’empowering’. Anton said: ‘Your technique is looking marvellous. Keep going.’And Craig added: ‘I thought you overcooked it but overall I thought it was very good. I love Shirley Bassey and I love you.’ He received 7,7,8,8 for a total of 30 points.Wynne and Katya are back following claims he was overmarkedWynne and Katya take to the dancefloor to perform a rumba to This Is My Life by Shirley Bassey. Last week, our readers said he was overmarked with a score of 31 – how will it go tonight? The first scores are in!Pete and Jowita receive 4, 6, 6, 6 for a total of 22 points. Will that put them in dance off danger? Jowita reassures Pete it is ‘OK’ after shakey startPete could be heard apologising for his mistakes after a shakey opening dance this week but Jowita reassured him it was OK. Here are some of their comments from the judges:Shirley: ‘You made a lot of mistakes but what I was impressed with was how you picked it up.’ Craig: ‘What a terrible shame. It lacked rotation, it lacked fluidity’.Motsi: ‘The dancing needs to get better.’ It’s time to get your sequins on! Week 7 of Strictly Come Dancing is officially here – sit back, relax and watch with us as we welcome the first couple – Pete Wicks and Jowita- onto the dancefloor!The pair will be performing a salsa to Another One Bites the Dust by Queen.Five minutes until show time…We’re just minutes away from Week 7’s live show kicking off on BBC One.Our reporter Olivia Christie will guide you through the performances as the 10 remaining celebrities take to the dance floor.Let us know your reaction to tonight’s show by joining in the conversation in our comments section.Blackpool now two weeks away Tonight’s show is officially the mid-way milestone of the contest – the seventh live show out of 13. The celebrities will no doubt be gearing up for the annual trip Blackpool Tower Ballroom in just a fortnight.But who will move one step closer? Keep following to find out… Strictly Come Dancing fans are convinced that another professional dancer will be quitting the show after spotting a major clue.Carlos Gu, 31, who joined the BBC show in 2022, returned to the dance floor this year for the 2024 series, however, the favourite was not partnered with a celebrity.Now, according to The Sun, viewers believe the choreographer is likely to leave at the end of the series – with some saying he seems ‘p****d off’ at the fact he was left without a partner.Strictly’s Lauren Oakley prepares to replace Amy DowdenAmy Dowden has been forced to pull out of Strictly this week after she was rushed to hospital on Saturday.Lauren Oakley has since stepped in as JB Gill’s temporary partner while she recovers. JB and Lauren will be dancing Couple’s Choice routine to Bruno Mars for the first ever Icons Week.Madonna once said the ‘world refuses to celebrate women past the age of 45’ and has called out ageism in the industry countless times.Now Sarah Hadland has channelled her inner Material Girl as she says she refuses to become ‘invisible at 50’ and has ‘no time’ for ageism.The actress will dance the Cha Cha to Madonna’s Like a Prayer for Strictly Come Dancing’s Icons Week on Saturday.Speaking ahead of the show, Sarah said: ‘A lot of women do feel invisible in their 50s.’I think it’s slightly changing, it is improving.’If there’s one thing I’d like to do, it is to make people realise that age doesn’t mean anything.Who are the favourites to be eliminated this week? According to the one bookmaker, Actor Shayne Ward is the favourite to be eliminated this week. However, Sam Quek, Wynne Evans and JLS star JB Gill have all also been identified as at risk. According to gambling company Ladbroke, Shayne has odds of 6/4, Wynne has odds of 7/2, Sam Quek comes in at 4/1 and JB Gill has odds of 5/1.Spokesperson Alex Apati told the Mirror today: ‘Shayne Ward leads the way in the elimination betting after a shaky couple of performances, but four names are in huge danger of a shock exit this weekend, with Wynne, Sam and JB also being at risk.’Icons Week song and dances Can’t wait for tonight’s action?Here’s a preview of the Icons-themed songs and dances: JB Gill and Lauren Oakley — Couples Choice to Bruno Mars MedleyMontell Douglas and Johannes Radebe — Waltz to I Will Always Love You by Whitney HoustonSam Quek and Nikita Kuzmin — American Smooth to Love Story (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor SwiftSarah Hadland and Vito Coppola — Cha Cha to Like A Prayer by MadonnaTasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec — Couple’s Choice to What About Us by P!nkChris McCausland and Dianne Buswell — Tango to Rock and Roll All Nite by KISSJamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas — Samba to Faith by George MichaelPete Wicks and Jowita Pryzstal — Salsa to Another One Bites The Dust by QueenShayne Ward and Nancy Xu — Quickstep to Help! By The BeatlesWynne Evans and Katya Jones — Rumba to This Is My Life by Shirley Bassey- not necessarily in order of performanceStrictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden has issued a special message to dance partner JB Gill as he prepared to dance without her on Saturday night.The Welsh dancer, 34, was forced to pull out of this weekend’s show after collapsing backstage last week, with fellow professional Lauren Oakley being drafted in as her replacement.And hours before JLS singer JB, 37, and choreographer Lauren, 33, took to the dancefloor, Amy – who is understood to be in remission after battling breast cancer and has Crohn’s disease – wrote a heartfelt message of support for the pair on social media.Week six leaderboard – which celebrities wowed the judgesHeading into Halloween week, let’s take a look at which celebrities impressed judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke.And who will be looking to surge up the leaderboard to avoid slipping into the bottom two.Jamie and Michelle – 38Sarah and Vito – 38Tasha and Aljaz – 37Montell and Johannes – 35JB and Amy – 32Pete and Jowita – 31Shayne and Nancy – 31Wynne and Katya – 31Sam and Nikita – 31Chris and Dianne – 26Punam and Gorka – 26
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Live updates from Strictly Come Dancing Icons Week as Amy Dowden is replaced by Lauren Oakley following backstage collapse