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The 2024 series of Strictly Come Dancing has eliminated its third celebrity contestant.
BBC One’s popular reality competition, which has this year been at the centre of a PR storm over alleged mistreatment of contestants, continued on Saturday (12 October), with the elimination being announced the following night.
Week Four saw Love Island’s Tasha Ghouri top the leaderboard with pro partner Aljaž Škorjanec, dancing the Charleston in a performance that earned 39 points from the judges. EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick and opera singer Wynne Evans also scored well, amassing a total of 34 points each.
Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell also floored both judges and viewers with an intricate salsa, which scored 30 points.
It was TV presenter Nick Knowles, along with his partner Luba Mushtuk, who was placed in Sunday’s dance off opposite singer Shayne Ward and his partner Nancy Xu.
Ward and Xu performed a Cha Cha to “Ain’t No Love (Ain’t No Use)” by Sub Sub feat Melanie Williams, while Knowles and Mushtuk danced a Charleston to “Rain on the Roof” from the film Paddington 2
Knowles, who had missed the previous week after sustaining a shoulder injury, was ultimately eliminated from the series by a unanimous vote.
Asked about his time on the series, Knowles said: “I’ve really, really been surprised by how much I’ve loved doing it and by two things that happen. One is how much you care each week, and the other is how much you don’t want to let down your partner. The only reason I could do this is simply because of Luba’s changes, she’s been amazing.”
Knowles follows contestants Tom Dean and Toyah Willcox in being eliminated from this year’s competition.
Mushtuk said: “I’ve never met someone as determined as you, and I remember you saying that if you do your best, you’ll be very happy. I think you did more than your best. Thank you.”
Speaking about his partner, Knowles added: “Luba’s been amazing and just been so fabulous every day. And I should say thank you also to all the background staff, the physios, all the people that have actually got me through this week, and to all of my fellow competitors who have been absolutely astounding, beautiful people. There are some amazing dancers up there, and I will love watching the rest of the series.”
Strictly Come Dancing continues every Saturday night on BBC One.
