Couple eliminated week before Strictly Come Dancing heads to Blackpool
Three celebrities had been left at the bottom of the leaderboard on Saturday night.
Will Best and Dianne Buswell have narrowly missed out on Blackpool week after being eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing.
The Big Brother presenter, 41, and his professional dance partner, 37, repeated their paso doble to Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat on Sunday’s results show after scoring 27 on Saturday’s live show.
They were left at the bottom of the judges’ leaderboard alongside Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley, and Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola, before public votes were counted.
In the dance-off, Best and Buswell faced actress Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu, who had been third on the leaderboard after the judges gave their Charleston to I Can’t Do It Alone by Catherine Zeta-Jones a score of 33.
After both couples had danced again, judge Motsi Mabuse chose to save Winstone and Gu, as did head judge Shirley Ballas, while Anton Du Beke voted to keep Best and Buswell.
However, Craig Revel Horwood also voted to save Winstone and Gu and send them through to Blackpool.
“This has been the most incredible experience,” Best said after being eliminated.
“This has been the best thing I’ve ever done in my life. Except having a baby!” he added.
Holding back tears, Buswell told Best: “It could have been really hard for me to come and do this show being a new mum and leaving my little boy at home but you have made this so easy and the best time ever.
“You’re such a wonderful person to work with. Every single day you came into the studio and gave me 150% and made me feel so comfortable.
Posting a video to Instagram after the result was announced, Best called his time on the show an “incredible experience”.
“I feel so honoured and privileged to have been on the show at all, but especially to have done it with Dianne, who is just a wonderful person and she has made it amazing.
“Thank you so much to everybody who voted for us and everybody who enjoyed our usually quite silly dances. Thank you to all the crew and the rest of the cast. But mainly thank you to my unbelievable fiancee Tobi who has been at home looking after Sonny and holding down the fort.
The dancer later shared a post on Instagram wrapping up what it was like working with Best this season.
She wrote: “I feel so lucky that I got to dance with you Will. We always said it’s about entertaining people and getting a buzz and a special feeling inside when we dance. It was never about winning for us. Thank you for having FUN with me on the DF (dancefloor) and creating memories that when our boys are older they can look back and say wow our mum and dad were (hopefully still are at the time).”
Ahead of finding out he was in the dance off, Best said he would be “devastated if I had to go home”.
This dance off marked the first time he and Buswell were in the position, which he said “was always going to happen at some point”.
Best was told by Ballas on Saturday’s live show that he was one of the programme’s “most consistent” dancers.
However, Revel Horwood called the routine “plonky”.
The professional dancers perform a romantasy-inspired group number on Sunday’s results show, which featured the voice of The Traitors US host Alan Cumming.
Celebrity Traitors winner Sebastian “Bash” Croft performed his new single, Everything Always Now, accompanied by a routine from dancers Julian Caillon and Jowita Przystal.
Best has presented shows for Channel 4, ITV and the BBC and in 2023 began co-hosting the ITV revival of Big Brother alongside AJ Odudu, herself a Strictly contestant in 2021. They hosted a Celebrity Big Brother spin-off in 2024.
He is also a presenter on Hits Radio and last month became a father to Sonny with his partner Tobi Rose.
Best and Buswell will join Ellie Taylor on Strictly – It Takes Two on Monday at 6.30pm on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
Strictly Come Dancing continues with is Blackpool Tower Ballroom special on Saturday at 6.35pm on BBC One.