Strictly Come Dancing 2026 has reached its halfway point, with just 10 couples left in contention for the Glitterball trophy.
Following the elimination of Emmerdale star Lawrence Robb last week – after the show’s first-ever bottom three dance off – the competition is tighter than ever.
Things are particularly tense at the bottom as Jaime Winstone, who has been in several dance-offs, will automatically make it through to the next round due to an injury in rehearsals.
This week’s performances featured a smorgasbord of dances, including a Cha Cha by Delta Goodrem to a Jennifer Lopez hit, a Rumba by Lacey Turner, a Quickstep by presenter Will Best and a fiery Paso Doble by current favourite Tabby Stoecker.
Meanwhile, Dani Dyer’s famous father, Danny Dyer, made a cameo as she and her professional partner Nikita visited the family’s caravan park, before wowing the judges with their American Smooth and receiving their first “10” of the competition.
Dani and Nikita ended up topping the leaderboard with a total of 36 points, while John and Katya, Cach and Maddie came in joint last with 26 points each.
Follow live updates below...
Strictly week 7
- Strictly 2026 has been a damp squib
- Strictly reaches official halfway mark
- Results show to honour Remembrance Sunday
And that's it for tonight! Here's the leaderboard for Week 7
20:10 , Roisin O'ConnorLeaderboard for Week 7
Dani and Nikita: 36
Tabby and Mark: 33
Delta and Kai: 31
Lacey and Vito: 30
Bethany and Nancy: 30
Will and Dianne: 29
Graeme and Lauren: 28
John and Katya: 26
Cach and Maddie: 26
Dani and Nikita: comments and scores
20:08 , Roisin O'ConnorThere was more of a consensus from the judges for Dani and Nikita’s American Smooth, with Shirley telling the reality star she should be “exceptionally proud” of herself.
Similarly Anton loved the pizazz and sparkle of the routine: “Well done you.”
“I loved it,” Craig said. “A classic American Smooth.”
Scores:
Craig: 8
Motsi: 10
Shirley: 9
Anton: 9
For a total of: 36! Fantastic score
Next up: Dani and Nikita
20:00 , Roisin O'ConnorDani and Nikita fared well last week thanks to their Viennese Waltz to "My Favorite Things" from the Sound of Music... now they're hoping to impress with an American Smooth to one of my favourite things... Harry Connick Jr's cover of the American standard, "It Had to Be You" - which famously featured in the 1989 romcom When Harry Met Sally!
Cach and Maddie: comments and scores
19:59 , Roisin O'ConnorOh dear... the judges are really at odds with one another tonight! Craig actually called out professional dancer Maddie for her posture, yikes.
Shirley still thinks Cach is a frontrunner, so there’s that...
Scores:
Craig: 4
Motsi: 8
Shirley: 6
Anton: 8
For a total of 26... will they be saved from the dance-off by the public votes?
Next up: Cach and Maddie
19:51 , Roisin O'ConnorCach and Maddie were joint third on the leaderboard last week with a not-to-be-sniffed at 33, after dancing the Argentine Tango to "Pas de Deux" by Michael Abels. This week they're waltzing to "That Ain't You" by Mulaa Jones, so we'll be looking for something sweeping, elegant and moving.
Tabby and Mark: comments and scores
19:50 , Roisin O'ConnorThe judges seemed much more in sync about that performance, “this girl came back with a vengeance!” Motsi proclaimed. “You are magnificent, I loved the focus.”
Anton was a huge fan: “Yes! Yes! Yes! You are back on form.”
Scores:
Craig: 7
Motsi: 9
Shirley: 8
Anton: 9
For a total of 33! Tabby is definitely back.
THIS IS WHAT WE NEEDED
19:45 , Roisin O'ConnorOK, gawd this episode needed some drama, whoosh! Absolutely smashing performance already, super fiery, fierce expressions from Tabby and I’m loving the costumes. Bring it!!
Up next: Tabby and Mark with the Paso Doble
19:43 , Roisin O'ConnorTabby and Mark didn't manage to bewitch the judges last week, not even with their Quickstep to "Black Magic" by Little Mix. This week, they're dancing the Paso Doble to another old favourite of mine, "Supermassive Black Hole" by Muse (don't you dare judge me), here's hoping it gets Tabby and Mark out of their scoring slump.
Graeme and Lauren: comments and scores
19:42 , Roisin O'ConnorIt was an emotional one for Graeme as he reflected on a stroke he suffered in 2019, leading to doctors to discover a 13mm congenital hole in his heart. After undergoing surgery, he achieved a successful recovery.
The judges were suitably moved by Graeme’s Couple’s Choice dance, even if they all seemed to agree that it wasn’t, as Craig put it, a “technical masterpiece”. Craig did, however, praise Graeme’s storytelling.
Scores:
Craig: 5
Motsi: 8
Shirley: 7
Anton: 8
For a total score of 28, so not the bottom of the leaderboard!
Next up... Graeme and Lauren
19:33 , Roisin O'ConnorGraeme and Lauren ended up joint-bottom of the leaderboard last week... will they have more success tonight with the Couple's Choice, dancing to "The Book of Love" by Peter Gabriel? I'm not so sure, but I'm prepared to be wrong...
John and Katya: comments and scores
19:31 , Roisin O'ConnorShirley praised the choreo for John and Katya’s Tango, while Anton praised John for really going for it: “With Katya, you’ve got to be on your toes, you don’t hesitate for a second.”
Both asked for a touch more musicality from John...
Craig has been getting a lot of boos this episode, he seems grouchier than usual. But he felt there was no vigor in the dancing: “Very placed and ploddy all the way through, you were completely stuck in the mud.”
But Motsi insisted she’s seen a lot of improvement from John: “What I really loved is I do feel your musicality is better.”
Scores:
Craig: 4
Motsi: 7
Shirley: 7
Anton: 8
For a total of 26... uh oh, are John and Katya facing the dance-off tonight?
John and Katya are up next...
19:22 , Roisin O'ConnorJohn and Katya's incredible Tango to "Dance..." by new alt-pop star Slayyyter got them a brilliant second place on last week's leader board with a whopping total score of 35.
This week they're dancing a Salsa to the immortal hit "Get Lucky" by Daft Punk (ft Pharrell and Nile Rodgers), but I reckon they won't need much luck.
Bethany and Nancy: comments and scores
19:21 , Roisin O'ConnorIt seems none of the judges can agree this week, as it’s more division in the response to Nancy and Bethany’s dance. Motsi, though, thinks it was their best dance:
“I love the musicality, your lightness, your footwork caressing the dancefloor,” she said. “This was the best dance of the night (so far).”
Duh duh duhhhhh.... Shirley swooped in with some constructive criticism, echoing Craig: “You’ve got the potential to really use this space, I think you’re on the right track... keep going.”
Scores:
Craig: 6
Motsi: 9
Shirley: 7
Anton: 8
For a total of 30! Unsurprisingly, the duo look absolutely delighted.
Bethany and Nancy are up next
19:13 , Roisin O'ConnorAfter ending up in the dreaded dance-off on Halloween Week, Bethany and Nancy will be hoping to get back on top with a Foxtrot to "Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis. Judges will be watching their footwork closely... will they impress them enough to stay out of the dance-off this week?
Delta and Kai: comments and scores
19:12 , Roisin O'ConnorShirley Ballas thinks Delta was a touch too loose with the arms, but she loved the energy and the chemistry between her and Kai.
Anton reckons he’s taken a happy pill because he loved this one too, he thinks it had plenty of energy, style and great footwork. Agrees with Shirley on the arms but more importantly he thinks Delta should improve on the spins, or it’ll start annoying him in a couple of weeks: “They’re not great, which is a shame, because everything else is amazing.”
The scores:
Craig: 7
Motsi: 8
Shirley: 7
Anton: 9
For a total of 31, not bad!
Delta's husband was a fan!
19:07 , Roisin O'ConnorDelta Goodrem’s husband Matthew Copley spotted doing some enthusiastic cheering from the audience just then and I don’t blame him, that was pretty spectacular.
Next up: Delta and Kai are dancing the Cha Cha to Jennifer Lopez
19:05 , Roisin O'ConnorA somewhat iconic song pick for Delta and Kai this week, as they'll be Cha Cha Cha-ing to "Let's Get Loud" by Jennifer Lopez. Delta is back on form after returning two weeks ago following her injury, and she and Kai landed joint-third on the leaderboard last week with their Viennese Waltz. The Cha Cha will be bringing a very different energy, of course, but will it be enough to liven up the judges' scoring?
Lacy and Vito: comments and score
19:02 , Roisin O'ConnorA hugely enthusiastic response from Anton, but Craig seemed rather unimpressed - although he did single out the “gooooorgeous” extension from Lacey as well as the chemistry she shares with Vito. Motsi echoed Craig in being a touch more critical and delivering some constructive feedback, but concurred that it was a “beautiful” dance.
And the scores:
Craig: 6
Motsi: 7
Shirley: 8
Anton: 9
For a total of 30, so a bit of a comedown for Lacey, but I doubt we’ll be seeing them in the dance-off this week.
Lacey and Vito are up now!
18:55 , Roisin O'ConnorAfter finishing top of the leaderboard last week with a Charleston that wowed the judges, Lacey and Vito will be dancing a Rumba to the classic Coldplay weepy, "Yellow". Given the Rumba is known as "the dance of love", I'm expecting (or at least hoping for) plenty of romance, drama and intensity.
Will and Diane: comments and scores
18:55 , Roisin O'Connor“For me it was a little bit bouncy on the top half and I felt like your torso was a little too active, you were using your elbow a lot,” Craig tells the duo. “But what I love about you, you are totally and utterly watchable.”
Scores are in too: 29! Not bad, not great.
And a reminder of who'll be dancing what...
18:51 , Roisin O'ConnorBethany Antonia & Nancy Xu – Foxtrot to “Bleeding Love” by Leona Lewis
Dani Dyer & Nikita Kuzmin – American Smooth to “It Had To Be You” by Harry Connick Jr
Delta Goodrem & Kai Widdrington – Cha Cha to “Let’s Get Loud” by Jennifer Lopez
Lacey Turner & Vito Coppola – Rumba to “Yellow” by Coldplay
Tabby Stoecker & Mark Karmalita – Paso Doble to ‘Supermassive Black Hole’ by Muse
Cach Mercer & Maddie Ingoldsby – Waltz to “That’s Ain’t You” by Mulaa Joans
Graeme Hall & Lauren Oakley – Couple’s Choice to “The Book of Love” by Peter Gabriel
John Nellis & Katya Jones – Salsa to “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk feat. Pharrell and Nile Rodgers
Will Best & Dianne Buswell – Quickstep to “This Love” by Maroon 5
Jaime Winstone & Carlos Gu – Not dancing due to injury
OK my bad...
18:47 , Roisin O'ConnorThey’ve rejigged this to a swing version of “This Love”, which makes sense given the dance, but I feel like it doesn’t really work for the very perky routine... Surely there were better song options to suit the vibe?
Will and Diane are up first
18:46 , Roisin O'ConnorWill and Diane are dancing first, and they’ve got a gold-standard song choice this week: the Quickstep to "This Love" from Maroon 5's one brilliant album, Songs About Jane. Anyone else still listen to that? Anyway, the song itself is about a passionate but ultimately toxic romance, so I’m hoping for a bit of drama.
In rehearsals, Will has been worrying about the tricky rhythm changes in this dance, so much so that he’s drawing diagrams on a whiteboard to try and make sense of it. Make a mistake in this dance, he explains, “and the whole thing can fall apart”.
A reminder of last week's leaderboard, while the judges do their best dad-dancing...
18:42 , Roisin O'ConnorJosh Widdecombe looks SO uncomfortable with this dancing skit, bless.
Anyway, these were the scores from last week:
1. Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola – 36
2. John Nellis and Katya Jones – 35
3. Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby – 33
4. Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington – 33
5. Will Best and Dianne Buswell – 32
6. Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin – 32
7. Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu – 30
8. Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu – 27
9. Lawrence Robb and Jowita Przystał – 26
10. Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita – 25
11. Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley – 25
Strictly Come Dancing to honour World War II women with special Remembrance tribute
18:25 , Roisin O'ConnorA routine honouring the women whose lives were upended by the Second World War will form part of Strictly Come Dancing’s Remembrance Sunday broadcast.
The BBC dance competition returns with its live show on Saturday as the remaining couples take to the floor once again.
With the results show falling on Remembrance Sunday on November 8, the programme will mark the occasion with a themed dance inspired by the monument to the women of World War Two.
Strictly Come Dancing to honour World War II women with special Remembrance tribute
17:59 , Roisin O'ConnorHello everyone, it’s me on Strictly duty tonight, let’s see if I can keep up with all the quickstepping and Cha-Cha-Chas.
Graeme Hall defended from criticism
17:00 , Jacob StolworthyDogs Behaving (Very) Badly star Graeme Hall’s professional partner Lauren Oakley was left frustrated after seeing criticism from one viewer online – and jumped to his defence.
Despite coming joint bottom on the leaderboard, the couple avoided the one-time three-way dance-off, although earned criticism on TikTok from a viewer who commented that dog trainer Hall was “atrocious” and “really needs to go”.
In response, Oakley wrote back: “OK, choice of words can probably be re-evaluated. Do you have dance experience?
“If so, you will understand the effort put into what was actually produced. If not, you’re a sofa critic, and should probably think before typing.”
Strictly star fires back at viewer over Graeme Hall criticism after dodging dance off
Strictly ratings slump
17:00 , Jacob StolworthyViewing figures for this year’s series dropped to an average of 4.8 million for the first live show – down from 6.2 million for the equivalent show the previous year.
Anton Du Beke isn’t worried, though. He told The Times: “I never worry about all that. I’ve seen it all before. All before.
“The viewing figures aren’t what they were because [television’s] all different now. The key is the viewer percentage of whoever’s watching the television at that moment. There’s no point saying, ‘We don’t get 12 million viewers like we used to,’ if only 5 million are watching television anyway.”
First celebs announced for 'strictly' tour
16:30 , Jacob StolworthyNext year, a number of this year’s contestants will be embarking on the Strictly live tour – and the first two names have been revealed.
Love Island winner Dani Dyer and skeleton racer Tabby Stoecker are the first stars announced for the 2027 tour, which will kickstart in January.
They will dance alongside their partners from this year's series, Nikita Kuzmin and Mark Karmalita, respectively.
Last week's leaderboard
16:00 , Jacob Stolworthy1. Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola – 36
2. John Nellis and Katya Jones – 35
3. Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby – 33
4. Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington – 33
5. Will Best and Dianne Buswell – 32
6. Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin – 32
7. Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu – 30
8. Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu – 27
9. Lawrence Robb and Jowita Przystał – 26
10. Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita – 25
11. Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley – 25
Dani Dyer to perform a 'Strictly' first
15:37 , Jacob StolworthyTonight’s episode will make history thanks to a move being performed by Dani Dyer and her professional partner Nikita Kuzmin.
They’re keeping details on what exact move this is a secret, but Kuzmin told Metro it’s a move that has “never been seen before” on Strictly.
Bethany Antonia hits out at BBC
14:57 , Jacob StolworthyEarlier this month, Bethany Antonia was seen wearing a shirt bearing the words “Protect the dolls”, a phrase referencing the need to protect trans women. However, the slogan was erased from the broadcast
The BBC told The Independent that the decision to blur the words was an “appropriate step to reduce the inclusion of any overt branding or slogans that may be present, regardless of the wording or statement in question”. A spokesperson called it “standard practice on any entertainment show”.
Antonia has reflected on the situation, telling Gaydio: “Personally, I felt devastated.
“To me, support for the trans community is not something that’s up for discussion, and not something that’s up for editing or not something that’s up for being hidden.
She continued: “I think there’s never been a more frustrating time to be a queer person working with a company that has these beliefs, if I’m very honest. To me, the T-shirt is no different to wearing the poppy.
“And I think I’m going to have to spend a lot of time trying to get my head around that decision. But there’s only so much you can do from the inside when you’re in this environment.”
Asked whether she understood the BBC’s decision, Antonia said: “I felt no sympathy or understanding, if I’m honest.”
Who was eliminated last week?
13:51 , Jacob StolworthyIt was a historic night, what with the first-ever three-way dance off, and it was Emmerdale star Lawrence Robb who got sent home after competing against Bethany Antonia and Jaime Winstone.
Robb, who was considered a frontrunner before the series started, had been on the receiving end of criticism from the judges in recent weeks, but had earned their praise on Saturday.
However, some viewers argued that the song choice and theme – a tango to the Ghostbusters theme – worked against him, while others pointed out that the height difference between him and professional partner Jowita Przystał was impacting his frame.
Who is performing what dance tonight?
13:00 , Jacob StolworthyBethany Antonia & Nancy Xu – Foxtrot to “Bleeding Love” by Leona Lewis
Dani Dyer & Nikita Kuzmin – American Smooth to “It Had To Be You” by Harry Connick Jr
Delta Goodrem & Kai Widdrington – Cha Cha to “Let’s Get Loud” by Jennifer Lopez
Lacey Turner & Vito Coppola – Rumba to “Yellow” by Coldplay
Tabby Stoecker & Mark Karmalita – Paso Doble to ‘Supermassive Black Hole’ by Muse
Cach Mercer & Maddie Ingoldsby – Waltz to “That’s Ain’t You” by Mulaa Joans
Graeme Hall & Lauren Oakley – Couple’s Choice to “The Book of Love” by Peter Gabriel
John Nellis & Katya Jones – Salsa to “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk feat. Pharrell and Nile Rodgers
Will Best & Dianne Buswell – Quickstep to “This Love” by Maroon 5
Jaime Winstone & Carlos Gu – Not dancing due to injury
Jaime Winstone to miss tonight's episode
12:30 , Jacob StolworthyActor Jaime Winstone is set to miss this weekend’s shows after tearing an abdominal muscle.
The BBC announced the news on Wednesday (4 November), sharing that doctors have advised the actor to rest this week.
“In line with the rules of the show, Jaime and Carlos will receive a bye through to next week when it is hoped they will be able to dance again. We wish Jaime the very best as she continues her recovery,” a spokesperson said.
Results show to honour Remembrance Sunday
12:03 , Jacob StolworthyWith this week’s results show occurring on Remembrance Sunday (8 November), Strictly will mark the occasion with a themed dance celebrating the women of the Second World War.
Has this series been a damp squib?
12:00 , Jacob StolworthyOur writer Rachel McGrath thinks so – from cruel new rules to teething issues with the hosts.
Read more here:
Strictly has been a total damp squib. Here’s everything that’s gone wrong
Strictly reaches halfway point
11:59 , Jacob StolworthyIt’s tough to believe, but tonight’s episode marks the official halfway mark – the countdown to Christmas is truly on...
