Strictly's Chris McCausland admits 'other couples are better than us' after shock exit

Strictly Come Dancing star Chris McCausland has admitted other couples in the competition are “better” than him and partner Dianne Buswell, after Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas’ controversial exit from the BBC show.

Chris, who is making history as Strictly’s first blind contestant, admits he had never watched the show before joining the latest series. And while he knows he may not be the best dancer of the series, he wants to entertain audiences.

He shared his plans to “take the show seriously” and “give it 100 percent” upon signing up. The result has seen Chris and Dianne becoming fan favourites this series, with the comedian bringing a mischievous edge to the live shows.

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Speaking to The Guardian, the 47-year-old said he was “thrilled” with the reaction from audiences. He explained: “My attitude was: I've never seen the show, but take it seriously and put 100% into it."

His fellow competitors, he says, are “better than us, so all we can do is connect with people - that's been our goal, me and Dianne, to connect, entertain and do the best that we can".

Chris, who was born with retinitis pigmentosa, admits there was an air of pressure around being the first blind contestant on Strictly. He had previously turned down offers to appear on the show, before eventually deciding to take the plunge.

He added: “I thought, if I do say no again, and they find somebody else who is blind, then I'll never do it. I don't mind being the butt of a joke, and if something goes wrong, I don't mind laughing about it, but there's a lot of weight in being the first blind guy on the show and it not being a disaster.”

Meanwhile Strictly viewers were left in uproar on Sunday when EastEnders star Jamie and his professional dance partner Michelle were sent home. They faced the dreaded dance-off against Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe.

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Jamie and Michelle found themselves at the bottom end of the leaderboard on Saturday. However, former The Only Way is Essex star Pete Wicks and professional Jowita Przystał, who received the lowest scores from the judges, escaped having to dance for survival.

It prompted an angry response from fans, who were left shocked that the 36-year-old had advanced in the competition. Writing on X, one said: “WHAT? Pete is safe and Montell and Jamie in the dance off. Absolute joke! #Strictly."

While another added: “Why is Pete not in dance off? this is a joke, a farce and a fix! #Strictly"

Strictly Come Dancing will return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 7.05pm next Saturday.