'Strictly's Pete Wicks was stitched up with tight trousers but escaped dance off'

I think Strictly bosses need to give Pete Wicks a cha-cha-chance — and not treat him like the joke act.

All everyone was talking about on Saturday at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom was Wicks' unfortunate trousers. Hot pink. Lycra. Incredibly tight.

Jaws will have dropped in every living room when the former TOWIE star stepped out in his skintight trousers to dance. The wardrobe team had really stitched them up before Wicks had a chance to show off his moves to I’m Too Sexy by Right Said Fred.

Surely, this was even harder to pull off than George of the Jungle but Wicks had plenty of style and a good fun attitude. Unfairly their routine saw them hit rock bottom of the leaderboard with only 27 points, no thanks to Craig Revel Horwood's harsh 4 paddle.

Watch how the cha cha played out in the video below.

So the TV star and pro partner Jowita Przystał looked visibly shocked – and quite frankly relieved – that they weren't performing again in the dance off on Sunday's results show.

Wicks even blew a kiss to the camera as a thank you. Apparently they had even prepared their going home speech.

Strictly's host Claudia Winkleman declared the public love to see Wicks dance. Yes, we do. And Wicks admitted: "I don't know why, I don't even want to see me dance. I cannot believe we are still here."

Read more

• 'I'd love to see Pete Wicks in Strictly final,' says ex-pro Brendan Cole

• 'It feels unfair that Shayne Ward left Strictly before Wynne Evans'

He's even got the backing of former pro Brendan Cole who told me he would love to see Wicks in the Strictly final because he's been on an incredible journey.

Luckily, Wicks narrowly escaped the dreaded dance off this week after that wardrobe fiasco — but for how long? Thanks to the public vote Wicks was saved. The combined vote — that takes into account both the scoring from the public and the leaderboard — means it is a somewhat fairer process, although it is not without its faults.

The Strictly judges themselves avoided controversy this weekend by sending home Wynne Evans and Katya Jones.

It was the right decision to say goodbye as they had been given the grace of an extra week due to head judge Shirley Ballas' final ruling last weekend. Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu had been sent home too soon because Evans' performance was more "joyous".

The opera singer's performance to Carmen Suite No 1: 5. Les Toreadors by Georges Bizet was just as "joyous" but his luck ran out while in the dance off second week running. Evans was voted out against Johannes Radebe and Gladiator star Montell Douglas.

"It's been wonderful I gotta to say," he told the audience. "I feel it's what Strictly is all about. If I can come and do Strictly and last till week nine. Anybody can get out there and dance and have a brilliant time."

He added: "Strictly is such a brilliant family, a precious family. I want everyone to look after it for the generations to come because it's wonderful."

Professional dancer Jones chose to focus on the joy Evans had brought her.

She said: "The smile hasn't left my face since the first day. You have made this experience so joyous and so full of laughter. I'm sure everybody was jealous. You bring light, you bring laughter, you bring charisma, you fill up every room you walk into with those qualities. You are the guy everyone wants in their life."

Meanwhile Douglas fights for another week on the Strictly dance floor. Things are about to get a whole lot tougher. Gladiator... Are you ready?

Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One on Saturday.