Yahoo News Strictly Come Dancing LIVE: Chris McCausland’s salsa blows audience away as Tasha Ghouri scores first 10s
Strictly Come Dancing delivered another week of standout performances with phenomenal lifts winning two couples high praise as Tasha Ghouri landed the first 10s of the series.
The former Love Island contestant has topped the leaderboard for the past three weeks, and did so yet again thanks to her charleston to “Unhealthy” by Anne-Marie and Shania Twain.
Ghouri and professional partner Aljaž Škorjanec took on a series of challenging lifts and the risk paid off, winning them 10s from Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton du Beke. The pair missed out on a clean sweep as Craig Revel Horwood reached for his nine paddle.
Ghouri and Škorjanec weren’t the only ones to impressive with gravity-defying moves. Chris McCausland and his partner Dianne Buswell also showcased a series of lifts in their salsa to “Down Under” by Men at Work. Their moves left head judge Ballas temporarily speechless.
She then said: “I can’t even imagine how you managed to do that so flawlessly when you can’t see. On top of that, you kept to your music, you didn’t miss a beat. I’m telling you from my heart, that is absolutely impressive.”
Elsewhere, DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles made his return to the programme after being forced to pull out of Movie Week due to a leg injury.
“When I signed up to Strictly I never thought for a moment that I would love dancing they way that I do and I well and truly have caught the dancing bug so I am absolutely delighted to be back tomorrow,” Knowles told fans on Instagram.
He added: “I am so grateful to all the physios and the medical team at the BBC for getting me back on my feet. See you tomorrow night.”
KEY POINTS
Anton Du Beke explains why he never got angry with Strictly partners
Strictly fans praise judges for eliminating the ‘right’ celebrity in week three
Nick Knowles returns after double-injury
Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell show off incredible lifts
Tasha Ghouri lands three 10s
The Strictly stars with previous dance experience, from Tasha Ghouri to JB Gill
15:21 , Lydia Spencer-Elliott
As many of the celebrities competing on Strictly are actors, singers and performers, a large number of them will have trained in dance or theatrical performance.
Those contestants are often subject to backlash from viewers at home who argue that they have an unfair advantage compared to the other contestants.
So, who has come to the show with previous training? Find out below.
All of the Strictly stars with dance experience, from Tasha Ghouri to JB Gill
Chris McCausland responds to Toyah Willcox’s It Takes Two blunder
15:26 , Lydia Spencer-Elliott
Chris McCausland has addressed the backlash surrounding comments made by eliminated Strictly Come Dancing star Toyah Willcox.
Willcox, who was the second contestant to be knocked out of the competition said her words of wisdom for the celebrities still on the show were: “If you don’t wanna do a dance off, get rid of Chris!”
While it’s clear that Willcox was aiming to complement McCausland for his dancing skills and popularity among Strictly fans, the comments backfired among viewers who said the remark was “uncalled for” and “mean”.However, McCausland has since defended Willcox online, saying that the singer has been “nothing but beautiful and supportive” during their few weeks together on the dancing competition.
“What she said on It Takes Two was funny and an incredible bloody compliment,” he said.
Read more below:
Chris McCausland responds to Toyah Willcox’s It Takes Two blunder
Nick Knowles to return to Strictly dancefloor after double injury
15:31 , Lydia Spencer-Elliott
A BBC spokesperson has confirmed DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles will return to Strictly Come Dancing for week four of the competition.
“We are all delighted that Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk will be dancing in this Saturday’s show. Nick has been cleared to dance by the medical and physio teams following his injury last week,” they said.
“Due to time taken out of training this week, they will be performing their Movies Week charleston to ‘Rain On The Roof’ from Paddington 2.”
Read more about Knowles’ injury below:
Nick Knowles forced to pull out of Strictly Come Dancing after second injury
Anton Du Beke reveals why he never got angry with ‘awful’ Strictly partners
16:00 , Lydia Spencer-Elliott
Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke has said he never got angry with his celebrity dance partners while he was a professional on the show.
While reflecting on the results of the investigation into a rehearsal room scandal involving Amanda Abbington and former pro Giovanni Pernice, the show’s judge explained why he never lost his temper as a contestant.
Throughout his time as a professional, Du Beke often found himself paired with celebrities who either failed to make it far in the competition including, Anne Widdecombe, Gillian Taylforth, Lesley Joseph and Susannah Constantine.
“I say this in the nicest way but none of them are 25. They are wonderful, interesting, fabulous, brilliant, funny, intelligent women who I enjoyed every second with, but it is what it is,” he said.
Du Beke said the most he could ask of his partner was that they “try their best”, adding: “That is as much as you can do.”
Read more below:
Anton Du Beke shares harsh reason he never got angry with Strictly celebrity partners
Who is topping the leaderboard after Movie Week?
16:30 , Lydia Spencer-Elliott
Hours away from Strictly Come Dancing week four, here’s a reminder of how the celebrity contestants fared last Saturday...
Strictly 2024 leaderboard: All of the scores from week three of the competition
Nick Knowles journey from DIY SOS to Strictly Come Dancing
17:00 , Lydia Spencer-Elliott
Award-winning TV presenter Nick Knowles has quickly become the most injured celebrity on this season of Strictly Come Dancing.
Having already sustained a shoulder injury while changing a tyre on the side of the motorway, Knowles wound up on crutches after falling to his knees during a dress rehearsal at the start of October.
As he makes his return to the competition after pulling out of Movie Week, here’s a look at the TV titan’s journey from DIY SOS to the dancefloor...
Nick Knowles: The TV titan’s journey from DIY SOS to Strictly injury woe
What is the line-up for tonight?
17:30 , Lydia Spencer-Elliott
Week four of Strictly Come Dancing will see a mix of ballroom and latin performances, soundtracked by everything from ABBA to Fred Astaire. Here’s who is performing what tonight...
Montell & Johannes - Viennese Waltz to “Nobody Gets Me” by SZA
Punam & Gorka - Jive to “2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)” by Lizzo
Sam & Nikita - Samba to “Hips Don’t Lie” by Shakira
Sarah & Vito - Foxtrot to “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish
Tasha & Aljaž - Charleston to “Unhealthy” by Anne-Marie, Shania Twain
Chris & Dianne - Salsa to “Down Under” by Men at Work
Jamie & Michelle - Salsa to “Danza Kuduro” by Don Omar, Lucenzo
JB & Amy - Rumba to “You Might Need Somebody” by Kara Marni
Paul & Karen - Quickstep to “I Won’t Dance” by Fred Astaire
Pete & Jowita - Quickstep to “Town Called Malice” by The Jam
Shayne & Nancy - Cha Cha to “Ain’t No Love (Ain’t No Use)” by Sub Sub feat Melanie Williams
Wynne & Katya - Tango to “Money, Money, Money” by ABBA
Nick & Luba - Charleston to “Rain On The Roof” from Paddington 2
Tasha Ghouri’s journey from being Love Island’s first ever deaf contestant to Strictly Come Dancing
18:00 , Lydia Spencer-Elliott
Having flown to the top of the Strictly leaderboard for the past two weeks, Tasha Ghouri is the dancer to beat going into week four of the competition.
Ghouri, who trained as a dancer at Creative Academy, has previously defended her background in dance and told The Independent: “It’s like a whole new world. Commercial dance is very different to ballroom dance and latin. I’m still having to strip down and relearn, even walking in cha cha step is weird to me.”
She continued: “Turning your feet out and leading with your hips, I’m having to relearn muscle memory so that’s the hard part. Even letting a man take the lead is a lot.”
As the reality star returns to the dancefloor for another weeks, here’s a look at her journey from Love Island to top of the leaderboard...
Tasha Ghouri, from being Love Island’s first deaf contestant to Strictly
And we’re off!
18:20 , Rachel McGrath1
With salsas, quicksteps and charlestons coming up, there’s plenty to look forward to this evening - especially if (like me) you prefer the faster dances.
Despite the lovely Toyah’s exit last Sunday, we will still have 13 couples taking to the floor as Nick Knowles is back.
He and Luba will be doing the charleston they were due to perform for Movie Week, so if their costumes look a little out of place, that’s why!
Shayne and Nancy open the show
18:29 , Rachel McGrath
These two were in joint second place last week and have certainly looked like they’ll be in with a shot at the Glitterball trophy in December.
This is a great Cha Cha but I’m mostly stunned by how good they both look in this garish shade of yellow. How?
Shayne’s scores are in...
18:32 , Rachel McGrath
And it’s a solid start!
He’s landed a 7 from Craig, 8 from Motsi, 7 from Shirley and another 8 from Anton for a total of 30 - three short of what he managed last week but a great score nonetheless.
Tissues at the ready
18:35 , Rachel McGrath
Sarah’s foxtrot is to “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish and she’s explained - on the verge of tears - what the song means to her.
“It’s about my family and it’s about me and my little one,” she told Vito in their VT. “And this song is special to us because we sing it together and we have a picture of us as birds that we made together.” This could be a tearjerker.
A stunning dance from Sarah
18:41 , Rachel McGrath
Aw, that was beautiful! The Miranda actress beamed throughout - and she got a lot of compliments from the judges, though they didn’t seem bowled over...
“I could definitely feel the emotion,” Shirley said, getting things off to a good start. “The spotting on your spins was flawless.” The head judge did spot a couple of issues though, and Anton agreed - before Craig claimed Sarah “tried too hard” and said there was “gapping” in her routine. Ouch!
Sarah’s scores are in...
18:43 , Rachel McGrath
Oh no! Sarah’s landed a 6 - from Craig - and 7s from the rest of the panel, giving her 27.
For most of the other celebs, this would be a brilliant week four score, but it’s five points lower than Sarah and Vito’s week three total.
Nick makes his return
18:47 , Rachel McGrath
Welcome back, Nick and Luba! The duo were forced to pull out of Movie Week as the DIY SOS star suffered a(nother) injury so they’re performing their Paddington 2 performance tonight instead.
And it was a passable performance. The issue this pair have is they’ve lost so much rehearsal time. I have a sneaky feeling tonight’s other charleston - being danced by last week’s leaderboard topper Tasha - will be better (sorry Nick!).
Nick’s scores are in...
18:51 , Rachel McGrath1
He could be in trouble tonight if viewers don’t get behind him when lines open.
Nick scored a 4 from Craig then - working down the panel - 6 , 5 and 6 for a total of 21. That score would have put him second from bottom last week.
Unfortunately for the DIY SOS presenter, his routine was one Craig knows rather well - as he choreographed it for Paddington 2.
“You could have let yourself go more crazy with it,” Craig said, adding that he felt Nick “overplayed rather than danced” the steps.
Shirley’s on her feet for Jamie’s salsa
18:57 , Rachel McGrath
It’s always a good sign when the Head Judge is out of her seat!
“You got out, you gave it 100%, you did the lifts,” Shirley said. “For me, this is your best dance so far, you did so well, I’m so proud of you.” And Anton agreed. “Please dance like that for the rest of the show,” he said.
Craig, of course, had a few more critiques and called for more hip action though conceeded: “All that aside, you are an incredible dancer.”
Could Jamie go top of the leaderboard so far?
Jamie’s scores are in...
18:59 , Rachel McGrath
And he should be very pleased indeed. Jamie has landed a total of 34, with 9s from Motsi and Shirley, and 8s from Craig and Anton.
That’s put him top of the leaderboard. Bravo!
Wynne takes on the tango
19:00 , Rachel McGrath
A Tango to “Money, Money, Money” is exactly the sort of dance I watch this show for. By which I mean, it’s one that sounds like it will incredibly camp. Bring it on.
That was fun!
19:04 , Rachel McGrath
A tango this early in the series isn’t easy but Wynne put in a great effort.
The judges have lapped it up with Anton declaring it “one of your best performances” and Motsi adding: “I feel for me personally this is you best dance yet.”
Even Craig has been mostly positive. “You thumb was sticking up, what a disappoint,” he said. “But I love, love, loved it - Wynne, Wynne, Wynne!”
Wynne’s scores are in...
19:08 , Rachel McGrath
And he’s done incredibly well!
Two eights and two nines give Wynne and Katya their highest score yet and they go joint top of the leaderboard, with 34.
Shall we watch Punam’s Bollywood routine again?
19:10 , Rachel McGrath
Punam delivered the dance of the night last Saturday and I think I’ve watched it at least twice a day since. Remind yourself of it here...
Punam in pink
19:13 , Rachel McGrath
Stunning! I would like to know if the BBC have plans for her wig after today, because I would very much like to have it.
Punam smiles through the pain
19:17 , Rachel McGrath
Oh no, the critiques were unforgiving.
Motsi pointed out “a lot of mistakes” and Shirley agreed with her, adding: “Everybody makes mistakes, it’s no big deal, but it was there.”
And that was before we got to Craig. He labelled it “sloppy, messy [with] a lot of mistakes.”
“Not your night I’m afraid, darling,” he concluded, before a slightly awkward moment as Tess Daly asked him to repeat his final comment as she hadn’t heard it.
She did her best to smile but at one point, Punam’s face during the judges’ comments said it all...
.
Punam’s scores are in...
19:17 , Rachel McGrath
She’s landed a total of 20, with a partciularly tough 4 from Craig and - working down the rest of the panel - a 5, 5 and a 6.
Paul gives the quickstep a go
19:23 , Rachel McGrath
That wasn’t bad at all! Paul - who is the latest in a long line of Strictly sportsmen who have lacked skills but made up for it with enthusiasm - certainly looks the part in his Fred Astaire get-up. And he’s no longer larking around either.
“Thre was no irony, you did it seriously, you did it straight and danced the dance,” said Anton. “I have to tell you... yes!”
Even Craig - after listing some errors - conceded: “We have progression. I’m loving the serious side. You are moving forward.”
“I see the effort, I see you trying to change the story,” said Motsi. “Keep on going with what you are doing.”
Paul’s scores are in...
19:26 , Rachel McGrath
Despite a 4 from Craig, he’s ended up with a total of 23 - his highest score yet!
Fingers crossed, the fan favourite isn’t heading for another dance off.
JB and Amy do the Rumba
19:30 , Rachel McGrath
Look... I know JB is the celeb but can we take a second for Amy, please?
In their VT, she revealed she’s never danced a Rumba on a Strictly live show before and well, what a way to start. It really is such a joy seeing her back on the dancefloor and the choreography was lovely.
It was also refreshing to see a Rumba that wasn’t all barefeet, floating gowns and dry ice. Oh and you were great too, JB.
Shirley’s a fan...
19:33 , Rachel McGrath
When it comes to the rumba, there’s only one judge who matters: the Queen of the Rumba herself, Shirley Ballas.
And JB’s routine won her approval. Disagreeing with Craig’s claim the dance lacked “connection” between JB and Amy, she said: “It was a sultry Rumba. It didn’t need to be over the top.”
She also praised his “lovely figure eight” and concluded: “I rather enjoyed it.”
JB’s scores are in...
19:34 , Rachel McGrath
Two sevens and two eights give JB a score of 30.
This puts him tied with Shayne Ward, just behind Jamie and Wynne, who both scored totals of 34.
Incredible lifts from Chris and Dianne
19:39 , Rachel McGrath
Erm... wow? Chris’s salsa moves were great but the lifts were on another level. Even Shirley Ballas is speechless.
Having gathered herself, she said: “It took real eye-timing one person to another so I can’t even imagine how you managed to do that so flawlessly when you can’t see.
“On top of that, you kept to your music, you didn’t miss a beat. I’m telling you from my heart, that is absolutely impressive.”
Craig shows off his Aussie accent
19:41 , Rachel McGrath1
In keeping with Chris and Dianne’s Aussie-themed dance, Craig delivered his critique with a phenomenal accent to match. I wonder how long he’s been practicing that for? Sensational.
Craig devolving into a suburban Aussie accent has unhinged me, I can't stop laughing. #Strictly #scd
— Kitty Gallagher (@KittyLGallagher) October 12, 2024
Chris’s scores are in...
19:42 , Rachel McGrath
And he’s straight to the top half of the leaderboard with 30! Very well-deserved.
Montell and Johannes pull off another solid routine
19:47 , Rachel McGrath
I absolutely adore Montell (aka Fire from ITV’s Gladiators reboot) and that was a beautiful Viennese Waltz!
Anton has quickly named it his “dance of the night” - a compliment that means even more when the are only three other couples left to hit the dance floor.
Montell’s scores are in...
19:52 , Rachel McGrath
And she’s landed 33! With 8s across the board and a 9 from Anton. We’ve seen a few of those so far but will anyone reach for their 10 paddle tonight? We do still have Tasha left to dance...
Sam sambas to Shakira
19:55 , Rachel McGrath
That’s a lot of S’s isn’t it.
Once again, the wardrobe department has outdone itself in making a usually garish shade of pink look perfectly acceptable. Maybe I’ll get myself trousers like Nikita’s for the office next week.
Sam’s scores are in...
19:59 , Rachel McGrath
Four 7s give Sam a very solid 28.
In the Clauditorium, Sam, a self-described ‘tomboy’ and ‘bit of a lad’, reflected on stepping out of her comfort zone with the samba.
“We don’t celebrate our bodies enough as women,” she said. “I’ve never felt my curves before, it was so much fun. I gave it everything.”
Pete’s up next
20:00 , Rachel McGrath
I’m still not over Pete’s George of the Jungle routine from last week, to be honest, and nor will I ever be.
He has so far lingered towards the bottom of the leaderboard though and is lucky to have dodged the dance offs. THe TOWIE star really needs to pull something special out of the bag this week...
Pete debuts a Craig tattoo
20:06 , Rachel McGrath
Putting my PR hat on here, I think Pete could do well to make some sort of silly promise about getting this tattoo for real if he makes the final.
Also, his quickstep was actually good? I, admittedly, did have fears for how this routine would go. But even Craig admitted to liking it.
“You sir, are improving week upon week,” agreed Shirley.
Pete’s scores are in...
20:07 , Rachel McGrath
Jowita is beaming and she has good reason to. They’ve landed their highest score so far - a 27. What a comeback after being second from bottom on the leaderboard last week.
Tasha closes the show
20:12 , Rachel McGrath
I love a charleston any day but that was amazing.
Tasha is already at the stage where she clearly has no trouble matching her pro partner, the wonderful Aljaz, step for step - a sensational feat with a dance this fast. And those lifts? Stunning.
What a way to close the episode. Could we be about see the first 10s of this year’s series? Shirley says she can’t fault it...
Tasha’s scores are in...
20:16 , Rachel McGrath
And she’s got the first 10s of the series! They’re from Shirley, Motsi and Anton while Craig reached for his 9 paddle.
A 39 in week four is truly impressive and puts Tasha top of the leaderboard yet again - and it’s so, so well deserved.
Recap: Chris and Dianne’s incredible lifts
20:31 , Rachel McGrath
I’m sure The Wheel - currently airing on BBC One - is great fun, but why not watch Chris and Dianne’s jaw-dropping dance again instead?
Goodbye for now - and see you next week!
20:35 , Rachel McGrath
What a show, eh? I’ll be back next Saturday to guide you through another live show when we’ll be one couple down.
I think it’s tough to tell which celeb might be leaving. Some of the underdogs - I mean you, Paul Merson and Pete Wicks - have actually improved and pulled off performances that’ll certainly stick in viewers’ minds.
Could a less memorable, mid-table celeb find themselves in trouble? We’ll find out during tomorrow’s results show.
