Live blog: Week 8 for Rose Ayling-Ellis on Strictly!

Posted on November 13, 2021 by



Tonight, deaf actor Rose Ayling-Ellis, and her fellow dancers face their seventh public vote!

Charlie Swinbourne will be live blogging every dance and taking care of the Twitter feed! And Rebecca-Anne Withey is back as guest dance judge!

Refresh this blog for regular updates, or follow our Twitter account!

Most recent updates posted first – scroll down to go back to the beginning!

19.56 – The scores are in and at the top of the leaderboard tonight is Rhys, with Rose in second place!

Now all the phone numbers for voting come up. Deaf viewers can vote online (hearing ones can too!) at this link!

A massive thanks to our guest judge tonight, the brilliant Rebecca-Anne Withey! Follow her on Twitter here!

19.52 – IT’S TIME FOR ROSE! (can you tell who we’re supporting?)

Deaf actor Rose Ayling-Ellis dances with Giovani Perni.

They’re dancing the Couple’s Choice to Symphony by Clean Bandit featuring Zara Larsson.

And there’s a lovely pre-clip where Rose goes to visit Deafinitley Theatre and their Artistic Director, Paula Garfield! We see Rose talking to the young actors there. There’s going to be a moment in the dance for the deaf community!

Charlie says: It went silent halfway through, for maybe 20 seconds. We went into Rose’s world. Lots of emotion here in the Swinbourne household!

What the judges say: Motsi says it was a beautiful moment. Shirley stands up and says it took us into a deeper place and the deaf community will be so proud of her. Craig says fab-u-lous!

Rebecca’s verdict: That was so special! From beginning to end Rose performed beautifully. From the tips of her fingers to the faultless lifts. I LOVED the part in silence, it was touching and powerful. I have tears in my eyes. 10!!!!!!!

Judges scores:

Craig Revel-Horwood 9
Motsi Mabuse 10
Shirley Ballas 10
Anton Du Beke 10

Total: 39  

(wk 7: 32 | 6: 40 | wk5: 37 | wk 4: 27 | wk 3: 36 | wk 2: 26 | wk 1: 22)

Watch it:

19.45 – McFly band member, author and actor Tom Fletcher dances with Amy Dowden.

They’re dancing the Viennese Waltz to Iris by Goo Goo Dolls.

Charlie says: I like the shapes Tom throws out but not sure about his footwork.

What the judges say: Motsi says they have a brand, so keep working on it. Shirley enjoyed the flow and says they are improving. Anton says it was generally good but they got a bit lost within it

Rebecca’s verdict: Very competent Viennese waltz. I’m not sure Tom was leading this dance, it felt as though Amy was and Tom was following. I’d love to see more drive and a tighter hold to keep the transitions nice and clean. Not as good as I’ve seen him perform before. Score: 7.

Judges scores:

Craig Revel-Horwood 7
Motsi Mabuse 8
Shirley Ballas 7
Anton Du Beke 8

Total:  30

(wk 7: 38 | 6: 29 | wk5: 34 | wk 4: 29 | wk 3: 32 | wk 2: N/A | wk 1: 21)

Watch it:

19.35 – Baker John Whaite dances with pro dancer Johannes Radebe.

They’re dancing the Samba to Acuyuye by DLG.

Charlie says: So much joy and abandon in that dance! Full of colour, energy, happiness.

What the judges say: Anton says he is brilliant. Craig agrees but wants John to go for it more. Motsi says that was the party to be at, it was so on point. Shirley says it was easy on the eye and there was great weight into the floor.

Rebecca’s verdict: Gorgeous samba! I loved the nod to the Afrobeats dance style – superb choreography. John is a great dancer but I really want him to drive himself forwards more, extra passion, extra energy, really throw himself into this. That extra mile would’ve made it a perfect score. But for now… a 9

Judges scores:

Craig Revel-Horwood 9
Motsi Mabuse 10
Shirley Ballas 10
Anton Du Beke 9

Total: 38

(wk 7: 35 | 6: 33 | wk5: 38 | wk 4: 29 | wk 3: 39 | wk 2: 31 | wk 1: 30)

Watch it:

19.27 – Dragon’s Den star and businesswoman Sara Davies MBE dances with pro Aljaž Škorjanec.

They’re dancing the Argentine Tango by No More Tears (Enough is Enough) by Donna Summer and Barbara Streisand.

Charlie says: Not an easy dance with a lot of challenging footwork. It just felt like Sara was focusing on her moves rather than being in the moment, to me.

What the judges say: Shirley enjoyed it. Anton blathers on about the technical elements again, but thought she did a great job. Craig says fantastic. Motsi says there were mistakes but she left her heart on the dance floor.

Rebecca’s verdict: You can really see the hard work Sara has put into this routine. Stunning clean lines, pointed feet, sharp extensions. Her posture wasn’t always correct so this could be something to watch but I felt she did really well here and I enjoyed it. Score: 8.

Judges scores:

Craig Revel-Horwood 7
Motsi Mabuse 8
Shirley Ballas 8
Anton Du Beke 9

Total:  32

(wk 7: 33 | 6: 23 | wk5: 25 | wk 4: 36 | wk 3: 28 | wk 2: 34 | wk 1: 17)

Watch it:

19.19 – CBBC presenter Rhys Stephenson dances with Nancy Xu.

They’re dancing the Charleston to The Charleston by Bob Wilson and his Varsity Rhythm Boys.

Charlie says: Rhys is my not-so-secret guilty pleasure. Amazing footwork there. That’s got to be worth an 8 or 9 I reckon. Surely??

What the judges say: Motsi said it was the best Charleston of the series. Craig says it was amazing!

Rebecca’s verdict: Well wow, Rhys sure did not stop! Fast paced and complex choreography, he hit every mark. I’d love to see some more variety in the routine rhythm wise but I can’t fault Rhys’ boundless energy. Score: 8

Judges scores:

Craig Revel-Horwood 10
Motsi Mabuse 10
Shirley Ballas 10
Anton Du Beke 10

Total: 40!

(wk 7: 34 | 6: 33 | wk5: 32 | wk 4: 31 | wk 3: 37 | wk 2: 30 | wk 1: 27)

Watch it:

19.10 – BBC Breakfast and sport presenter Dan Walker dances with Nadiya Bychkova.

They’re dancing the American Smooth to King of the Road by The Proclaimers.

Charlie says: One of Dan’s better dances, by which I mean I didn’t feel the need to cover my eyes and cringe during it.

What the judges say: Craig lays in, says it lacked any feeling and had no style. Motsi says she thought it was Dan’s best dance (she’s not wrong there). Anton says some complimentary stuff which I missed due to typing!

Rebecca’s verdict: This was definitely Dans best dance, it really suited him. Gentle, nicely placed, cool and slick. He could travel deeper into his thighs and a smile wouldn’t go amiss! But this was really good for Dan, big improvement! Score: 7

Judges scores:

Craig Revel-Horwood 4
Motsi Mabuse 8
Shirley Ballas 8
Anton Du Beke 9

Total: 29

(wk 7: 28 | 6: 27 | wk5: 28 | wk 4: 26 | wk 3: 21 | wk 2: 26 | wk 1: 24)

Watch it:

19.03 – TV presenter AJ Odudu dances with Kai Widdrington.

They dance the Paso Doble to Game of Survival by Ruelle.

Charlie says: Good but it didn’t feel as good as Tom’s Paso last week.

What the judges say: Anton says he’d like AJ to concentrate on her tension. Shirley says it wasn’t her best dance but she will come back fighting.

Rebecca’s verdict: AJ: well executed paso, she looked a little flustered in places – not sure if it was more of a costume issue that hindered her. Would love to see more tension in her arms and hands. Score 7.

Judges scores:

Craig Revel-Horwood 6
Motsi Mabuse 7
Shirley Ballas 7
Anton Du Beke 8

Total: 28

(wk 7: 39 | wk 6: 37 | wk5: 35 | wk 4: 28 wk 3: 35 | wk 2: 31 | wk 1: 34)

Watch it:

18.51 – Daughter of Gordon Ramsey, TV presenter, chef, and social media influencer Tilly Ramsey dances with pro Nikita Kuzmin.

They dance the Quickstep to I Won’t Dance by Damita Jo.

Charlie says: That had Mrs Charlie clapping! Great start from Tilly.

What the judges say: Shirley says she did well to come back from a dance off. Anton says he loves her animation. Craig says the footwork was haphazard. Motsi says she sees an improvement but that was a great start to the evening.

Rebecca’s verdict: Tilly: cute quickstep, a little heavy on the footwork but great personality and smiles throughout. A solid 7!

Judges scores:

Craig Revel-Horwood 7
Motsi Mabuse 7
Shirley Ballas 7
Anton Du Beke 8

Total: 29

(wk 7: 31 | wk 6: 36 | wk5: 36 | wk 4: 32 | wk 3: 27 | wk 2: 34 | wk 1: 21)

Watch it:

18.40 – Time for another week on Strictly!

If you’ve missed our previous blogs, you can check out last week’s live blog here, week 6 here, week 5 here, week 4 here, week 3 here, week 2 here, week 1 here and the introductory week here.

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