Les Dennis and his dance partner Nancy Xu have become the first couple to be eliminated from BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing 2023 on Sunday night.
When last week’s and this week’s scores and votes were combined, Les and Nancy were placed in the dance-off against presenter Nikita Kanda and her professional dance partner Gorka Márquez.
Nikita danced to “Single Ladies” (Put a Ring on It) by Beyonce while Les performed Samba on “Rock the Boat” by Hues Corporation during the dreaded dance-off.
After their performances, Nikita won the votes from the judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, and Anton Du Beke, while head judge Shirley Ballas agreed, leading to the elimination of Les.
Choosing to save her, Craig said Nikita was “most improved”, while Motsi said she was “extremely better in the dance-off”.
Anton said Nikita and Gorka “did the best job”, while Shirley, who did not have to vote, agreed and said she would have saved the duo too.
Nikita will join the other remaining couples next week for Movie Week.
After the result, Les said, “I have had the best time. This lady has been amazing, a great teacher. She’s really put me through my paces. I hope I have entertained, that's what I came here for. Strictly is the best and the people who put this on, you're just all amazing!”
What were the scores in Strictly Come Dancing week two?
Let’s take a look at the couples’ scores in week two! The couple scores from weeks one and two are added together to give a total score out of 80.
Layton and Nikita - 65 - (29+36)
Amanda and Giovanni - 61 - (29+32)
Ellie and Vito - 60 - (29+31)
Nigel and Katya - 59 - (32+27)
Angela and Kai - 59 - (28+31)
Bobby and Dianne - 58 - (29+29)
Angela and Carlos - 52 - (23+29)
Annabel and Johannes - 50 - (28+22)
Eddie and Karen - 43 - (22+21)
Adam and Luba - 42 - (19+23)
Krishnan and Lauren - 42 - (22+20)
Zara and Graziano - 42 - (19+23)
Jody and Jowita - 37 - (21+16)
Nikita and Gorka - 36 - (18+18)
Les and Nancy - 31 - (16+15)
Who is left in the competition after Les’ elimination?
After Les Dennis became the first celebrity to be booted of Strictly, the following stars remain in the competition:
Krishnan Guru-Murthy
Nikita Kanda
Adam Thomas
Amanda Abbington
Bobby Brazier
Ellie Leach
Layton Williams
Annabel Croft
Nigel Harman
Zara McDermott
Angela Rippon
Angela Scanlon
Eddie Kadi
Jody Cundy
Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday 7 October on BBC One at 6:20 pm.
Zendaya joins as Felicia in Shrek 5Getty Images 
Hattie McDaniel made history, but Hollywood’s racism kept her at the back of the roomGetty Images 
Marlon Brando’s Oscar protest sent shockwaves through Hollywood, with Sacheen Littlefeather delivering his bold rejection speechGetty Images 
Despite The Godfather’s cinematic brilliance, its original score was deemed ineligible for an OscarInstagram/Godfather 
Rob Lowe and ‘Snow White’—the Oscars opening so bad, even Disney suedYoutube
A standing ovation for some, silent protest for others—Elia Kazan’s Oscar win divided HollywoodGetty Images 
Adrien Brody shocked the audience—and Halle Berry—with an uninvited Oscar kissGetty Images 
Then vs. Now: From #OscarsSoWhite to historic wins—Hollywood’s journey toward diversity is far from overGetty Images 
Seth MacFarlane’s ‘joke’ fell flat—was this the Oscars’ most cringe-worthy moment?Getty Images 
And the Oscar goes to…’ Oops! The La La Land–Moonlight mix-up that no one will ever forgetGetty Images 
One slap, one stunned audience—Will Smith’s shocking Oscars moment that broke the internetGetty Images 
From wedding bells to baby bliss—Kiara & Sidharth's love story keeps getting sweeterGetty Images 
Love, laughter, and a little one on the way! Kiara & Sid’s next adventure beginsGetty Images 
Wamiqa Gabbi