Strictly's Toyah Willcox dealt 'brutal' blow after BBC live show setback

Strictly' Come Dancing's Toyah Willcox and Neil Jones
-Credit: (Image: BBC)


Toyah Willcox has suffered a double blow at the end of a disappointing few days for the Strictly Come Dancing star as, after finishing adrift at the bottom of the leaderboard, her odds have now taken a turn for the worse, with her now one of three rank outsiders to win and the new favourite to be given the boot first.

The oldest of the Strictly 2024 line-up, 66-year-old It's A Mystery singer Toyah was in action along with her BBC co-stars on Saturday night, as the first live show of the new series took place in front of the judges, studio audience and millions of viewers at home. Given her wealth of experience in the entertainment industry, also including playing the lead in hit musicals like Calamity Jane, Toyah had been mooted as a a potential dark horse, with fans excited at the prospect of seeing her do a Tango to Madonna's Ray of Light.

However, the routine didn't go to plan for Toyah, as she was taken to task by the Strictly judges for her wild head movements throughout the dance and told she needed to channel her obvious energy into getting the technique of the dances right. The judges lukewarm comments were reflected in Toyah's scores with her getting just 12 out of 40 and putting her and Neil five points behind the next lowest scoring couple.

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And now Toyah, who appeared to be taking the setback in her stride, has now had salt rubbed into the wounds by the fact that bookies Betfred, who had her at low as 25/1 to at the start of the week, have pushed her near the bottom of the odds, with her joining Paul Merson and Nick Knowles on 100/1, with the three of them adrift of swimmer Tom Dean on 33/1.

Addressing the shift in the odds at Toyah's expense, Bedfred's Kayley Cornelius said: "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.

"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: "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."