Strictly Come Dancing live: Alex Kingston crowned ‘Queen of the Rumba’ by judge Shirley Ballas
All the updates from week four of the BBC competition
Strictly Come Dancing ‘s fourth live show of the 2025 series is done and dusted – and Alex Kingston topped the leaderboard with a spell-binding rumba.
The dance style is one the celebrities often find tricky, but the Doctor Who star pulled off a phenomenal routine with her pro partner Johannes Radebe. The pair left the whole panel impressed, with head judge Shirley Ballas walking onto the dancefloor to crown Kingston the new ‘Queen of the Rumba’.
Lewis Cope finished up in second place on the leaderboard after their Foxtrot to Nat King Cole's “L-O-V-E”, while former Love Islander Amber Davies was in third after performing the first Argentine tango of the series.
The episode also saw Neighbours star Stefan Dennis and his partner Dianne Buswell performed a Charleston, having missed last week’s episode due to vertigo.
Entertainment reporter Ross King became the second star to be eliminated after a shock dance off with EastEnders’ Balvinder Sopal. King’s departure followed Apprentice candidate Thomas Skinner, who said this week he wishes he’d never signed up to the competition.
Recap the show as it happened below...
Stefan Dennis will return to dancefloor after illness
Neighbours star Stefan Dennis will return to Strictly after a week off.
Just 24 hours before last weekend’s episode, the actor was forced to sit out of the show after suffering from vertigo.
More here:
Stefan Dennis reveals what illness prevented him from dancing on Strictly last week
Who is dancing what during tonight’s episode?
There is no theme in the next episode – but see below for a sneak peek at what dances to expect:
- Ellie Goldstein and Vito Coppola – Couple’s Choice to “Golden” by HUNTR/X from KPop Demon Hunters
- Stefan Dennis and Dianne Buswell – Charleston to “Dance Monkey” by Tones and I
- Karen Carney and Carlos Gu – Quickstep to “Marvellous Party” by Beverley Knight
- Alex Kingston and Johannes Radebe – Rumba to “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman
- La Voix and Aljaž Škorjanec – Cha-cha-cha to “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” by Pat Benetar
- Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin – Argentine Tango to “Angel of My Dream” by JADE
- Balvinder Sopal and Julian Caillon – Paso doble to “Diablo Rojo” by Rodrigo y Gabriela
- Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink and Lauren Oakley – Couple’s Choice to a medley of soca songs from Trinidad and Tobago
- Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and Karen Hauer – Rumba to “It Must Have Been Love” by Roxette
- Lewis Cope and Katya Jones – Foxtrot to “L-O-V-E” by Nat King Cole
- Chris Robshaw and Nadiya Bychkova – Salsa to “Maria” by Ricky Martin
- Vicky Pattison and Kai Widdrington – Samba to “La Isla Bonita” by Madonna
- George Clarke and Alexis Warr – Tango to “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay
Lewis Cope ‘confused’ by claims he’s trained professional
Emmerdale star Lewis Cope is addressing claims he’s a professionally trained dancer after topping the leaderboard– and receiving the first 10 of the series.
“It’s strange to hear that I’m some kind of ‘professional dancer’. It’s been so long since I danced, and I never trained professionally,” the star told OK.
The actor previously revealed it’s been more than a decade since he last danced.
Thomas Skiner regrets saying yes to 'Strictly'
Reality TV star Thomas Skinner has revealed regret over taking part in Strictly Come Dancing.
The former Apprentice contestant was the first celebrity to be eliminated from this year’s edition of the BBC One dancing show, and Skinner has now admitted he “never fitted the bill”.
More here:
Thomas Skinner admits Strictly ‘regret’ in angry social media post
Amy Dowden shares dark horse prediction for 2025 series
Amy Dowden, the professional dancer who was partnered with Thomas Skinner, thinks Karen Carney has a fighting chance at winning this year’s series.
Speaking about potential winners, Dowden told The Independent: “A footballer, who would have thought it? I love the way she’s coming out there and she’s selling these performances.”
Katya Jones finally has the partner she deserves
The Strictly professional has had a run of bad luck and scandals on the show – it’s about time she had a partner who could win.
Rachel McGrath reports:
Why Lewis Cope is the Strictly partner Katya Jones deserves
Vicky Pattison says she’s ‘overwhelmed’ by ‘Strictly’ experience
Reality television personality Vicky Pattison has described her experience on Strictly Come Dancing as “intimidating and overwhelming”.
The star, who is paired with professional dancer Kai Widdrington, admitted that training for the BBC hit series has been a “baptism of fire”,
“All the pros are carved like angels, and I’m there sweating away in my gym gear,” she told Women’s Health UK.
“It’s both intimidating and overwhelming. But as you get older, you don’t often get the opportunity to get out of your comfort zone. I like to prove I’m capable.”
More here:
Strictly star admits she’s finding BBC dance show ‘overwhelming’
‘Strictly’ fans lef furious after last week's dance off
Strictly Come Dancing fans were left in disbelief after Balvinder Sopal found herself in the dreaded dance off.
On Sunday’s results show (12 October), the EastEnders star received the least number of votes alongside entertainment reporter Ross King.
While King became the second contestant to be eliminated from the 2025 series, viewers couldn’t help but share their surprise at Sopal and her professional partner Julian Caillon’s presence in the bottom two.
Strictly fans left furious after surprise star ends up in dance off
Last week’s leaderboard
Before week four fo the competition, catch up onn he marks and total scores from last weeks from judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke:
Lewis Cope and Katya Jones – 9 + 10 + 9 + 9 = 37
Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin – 8 + 9 + 9 + 9 = 35
Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and Karen Hauer – 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 32
George Clarke and Alexis Warr – 6 + 8 + 9 + 8 = 31
Alex Kingston and Johannes Radebe – 7 + 8 + 7 + 8 = 30
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Lauren Oakley – 7 + 7 + 6 + 8 = 28
La Voix and Aljaž Škorjanec – 7 + 7 + 7 + 7 = 28
Balvinder Sopal and Julian Caillon – 7 + 7 + 6 + 6 =26
Ellie Goldstein and Vito Coppola – 6 + 7 +7 + 7 = 25
Karen Carney and Carlos Gu – 4 + 7 + 7 + 7 = 25
Vicky Pattison and Kai Widdrington – 5 + 7 + 6 + 7 = 25
Chris Robshaw and Nadiya Bychkova – 4 + 6 + 6 + 6 = 22
Ross King and Jowita Przystał – 4 + 5 + 5 + 5 = 19
Catch up with last week’s events
Strictly Come Dancing brought plenty of drama in its annual Movie Week – and one star even managed the impressive feat of landing the first 10 of the series.
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