Singer Toyah Willcox and her professional dance partner Neil Jones were the latest to be voted off the 20th anniversary series of Strictly Come Dancing. They faced former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson and his partner Karen Hauer in a dance-off during Sunday night’s second results show of the BBC series.
The pair reprised their samba to ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’ from The Little Mermaid, while Merson and Hauer performed their cha cha to the Magnificent Seven theme for Movie Week. Judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke unanimously chose to save Merson and Hauer, with head judge Shirley Ballas concurring.
Willcox and Jones had previously triumphed over Olympic swimmer Tom Dean and his dance partner Nadiya Bychkova. Following the judges’ decision, Willcox described her time on the show as “the best two months of my life”.
She added: “It has been fantastic. I have enjoyed every second. And you (Jones) have been phenomenal, thank you so much.”
Jones praised Willcox for her hard work and dedication, saying: “She has made me laugh so much, I have never seen someone work so hard – I’m the one asking for breaks every now and then. She just kept going, she wanted to learn so much,” he said. “If you saw her in the hallway she’s been practicing. Everyone’s been telling me ‘have you seen Toyah practicing? ’.”
“She’s brilliant and she’s what Strictly is all about, and I’ve loved every moment,” the 66 year old ‘It’s A Mystery’ singer commended Jones for his unwavering support, adding: “It was immediate, it had to be Neil. I felt so comfortable and safe.”
“You’re a great teacher, you’re a great friend as well.”
“You’ve just given me a new zest for life, that’s the most valuable thing I’ve come away with.”
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Willcox, who appeared as Ursula, the notorious sea witch from the Disney classic, scored the lowest during Saturday’s live show with 15 out of 40, leading Revel Horwood to comment she was “stuck in the mud”. This remark led to heckling from Willcox’s spouse, King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp, who was present in the audience.
After starting her dance with a giant octopus projection, Willcox disclosed her husband’s fear of the creatures. Love Island’s Tasha Ghouri triumphed in Movie Week, scoring 34 out of 40 for her rumba with Aljaz Skorjanec to Billie Eilish’s ‘What Was I Made For?
‘ from the Barbie film.
The Sunday results show dazzled with a “rom-com inspired” dance by the professionals and a performance of ‘The Heart Asks Pleasure First’ by British artist Alexis Ffrench. Strictly Come Dancing is set to return on Saturday October 12 at 6.20pm, followed by the Results Show on Sunday October 13 at 7.20pm on BBC One.
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