BBC Strictly Come Dancing sees 10th celebrity leave after dance-off defeat

Gladiator and former Olympian Montell Douglas is the latest celebrity to depart Strictly Come Dancing following the Musical Week quarter-final.

The 38 year old, alongside her dance partner Johannes Radebe, faced defeat in the dance-off against ex-Love Island contestant Tasha Ghouri and her partner Aljaz Skorjanec. Despite scoring a joint second-highest score of 38 for their Argentine tango to 'Ex-Wives' from Six The Musical on Saturday's show, Ghouri and Skorjanec found themselves competing in the dance-off.

On Sunday's results show, both couples reprised their performances, with Douglas and Radebe having previously earned a score of 32 for their rumba to 'I’m Here' from The Colour Purple during the live show.

Reality TV personality Pete Wicks and his partner Jowita Przystal managed to avoid the dance-off even though they scored only 26 for their waltz to 'Somewhere' from West Side Story. Following the second performances, the judges were unanimous in their decision to save Skorjanec and Ghouri, resulting in Douglas and Radebe's exit.

Upon learning she would be leaving, Douglas expressed her gratitude, saying: "He (Johannes) has been amazing. Strictly has touched me in ways I never knew possible." She added, "I’m an Olympian and a Gladiator, but I have honestly struggled with confidence my whole life and being on the show, with the beautiful crew, the judges, the cast, has just been such an honour."

Radebe also shared his pride, stating: “I am so proud of you (Montell), because you are a non-dancer. But the one thing that you have done every single week is turn out beautiful dancing. So I want to say to you, thank you for respecting our art form of ballroom and latin. The way you handled it was like a true pro. You’re my winner.”

Former Olympian Montell said Radebe had become “a friend and a brother”, adding: “I hope he’s in my life forever, because we have something very special.”

The results show on Sunday featured a performance of The Schuyler Sisters from the musical Hamilton and a group number by the Strictly professional dancers to As If We Never Said Goodbye from Sunset Boulevard. The five remaining couples will compete in the semi-final next week, performing two dances each.

Strictly Come Dancing will return live on BBC One and iPlayer on Saturday, December 7 at 6:30pm, with the results show airing on Sunday, December 8 at 7:20pm. Douglas and Radebe will join Fleur East on Strictly: It Takes Two on Monday at 6:30pm on BBC Two and iPlayer to discuss their departure.

This weekend's episodes are available to watch on iPlayer.

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