The final is just a few weeks away and with eight couple having already been eliminated from the competition, the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom is starting to look quite bare. And on Saturday night it was even more sparse than it should have been as Kym Marsh has been forced to miss this weekend's performance.
The former Coronation Street star and her dance partner made it to week 20 in the BBC One dance contest following last weekend's spectacular trip to Blackpool. Strictly returned back to the north for the first time in three years and pulled out all the stops as the couples and the show's professional dancers performed in the iconic Tower Ballroom.
And viewers watched as Kym, 46, and her dance partner Graziano Di Prima moved fiercely across the dancefloor accompanied by supporting dancers to land a score of 33. The pair brought drama to the dance floor as they performed a powerful paso doble to We Found Love by Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris.
Accompanied by supporting dancers, the actress and presenter moved fiercely across the dancefloor alongside her partner to land a score of 33 which put them towards to bottom of the leaderboard. However, Motsi Mabuse said Kym looked "amazing" and praised her control and energy.
Head judge Shirley Ballas said: "I feel like you are in warrior mode. You are here and you are fighting. What I loved, it was so powerful but yet you still kept the femininity."
But despite being ready to dance another week, Kym tested positive for Covid and therefore cannot perform this weekend. The actress and singer will therefore automatically appear in week 11 of the BBC One dance contest 'all being well'.
On Tuesday, a Strictly spokesperson said: "Kym Marsh has tested positive for Covid-19. As a result, Kym and Graziano will not be taking part in Strictly Come Dancing this weekend. Strictly Come Dancing protocols mean that all being well, they will return the following week."
While Kym hasn't spoken since the announcement, judge Anton Du Beke commented on Kym's absence on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday (November 23), telling host Richard Madeley after he asked about Kym not competing on Saturday night: "So I believe, yes. I'm not fully across everything on a day-to-day basis anymore because we do our bit on a Saturday."
While he didn't appear to have much information, the show's former longest-serving professional dancer did praise the former Hear'Say singer. "She's coming on beautifully and I love her style of dancing," he said. "So yeah, she'll be missing this weekend as she's got to go through the protocol. But hopefully she’s okay."
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