Strictly Come Dancing pro suffers huge blow hours after rejoining BBC show


Strictly Come Dancing's Tasha Ghouri has now emerged as the favourite to clinch the title of the BBC hit show after impressing both viewers and judges with her dance floor prowess, dealing a significant blow to another contestant.

Toyah Willcox's prospects are looking grim as the singer's winning odds have taken a nosedive. Following last weekend's pre-recorded launch show, the first week of the BBC One dance contest commenced on Saturday night (September 21) with a performance from the professional dancers.

It's a blow too for her pro partner Neil Jones, who has been without a partner in recent years and has only just rejoined as a partnered dancer.

Before the show, JLS star JB Gill, who is partnered with Welsh professional Amy Dowden, was the bookies' top pick to bag the Glitterball trophy. However, Tasha Ghouri has now surpassed him in the outright market, despite finishing second on last night's leaderboard.

Tasha earned a standing ovation following her Cha Cha Cha performance to Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter alongside partner Aljaz Skorjanec. Head Judge Shirley Ballas praised the reality star for having 'the most spectacular leg actions she has ever seen on this show', earning her a whopping 30 points from the panel.

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The Love Island star, aged 26, is now priced at 3/1 to win. Close behind her is comedian Chris McCausland, whose odds have jumped from 20/1 to a competitive 7/2 after impressing fans with an outstanding performance, pushing JB Gill into third place at 4/1, reports the Mirror.

Pete Wicks and Toyah Willcox have suffered setbacks in the betting stakes, with Pete's odds slipping from 16/1 to 20/1, and Toyah's taking a nosedive from 16/1 to a staggering 100/1. Consequently, Toyah has become the bookies' top pick to be the first contestant to leave, with odds of 3/6 for her exit next weekend.

Betfred's Kayley Cornelius commented on the shifting odds: "A tough first week for Toyah Willcox, who now finds herself trailing behind her peers at the bottom of the leaderboard after the first round of live performances. Priced at 3/6, she's now the favourite to be the first eliminated from the competition."

Cornelius also noted the challenges faced by Pete Wicks, saying: "It wasn't just a rough night for Toyah-Pete Wicks also struggled, and as a result, his odds of 16/1 to win have now been lengthened to a measly 20/1. He now finds himself in a worrying spot for next weekend and risks landing in the dance-off if he doesn't step up his game."

She added that football pundit Paul Merson might have had a stroke of luck: "On the flip side, football pundit Paul Merson, who tied with Pete at a score of 17, may have caught a break. Before Saturday night, he was almost certain to be the first to go, but he's shown he might offer more competition than expected. While his position is still shaky and priced at 2/1 to go next weekend, if Paul delivers on the dancefloor, he could survive another week."

"Meanwhile, Nick Knowles seems to have turned things around. Like Paul, Nick's chances on the show looked grim, but after narrowly beating Paul and Pete by a single point this weekend, a solid performance next week could keep him in the competition a little longer."