Live blog: Rose faces the quarter-finals of Strictly Come Dancing!

Posted on December 4, 2021 by



Tonight, deaf actor Rose Ayling-Ellis takes on the quarter finals of Strictly!

Charlie Swinbourne will be live blogging every dance and on 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!

19.37 – John tops the leaderboard this week, with Rose in second place. She’s all but through to the semi finals in my view.

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!

19.35 – TV presenter AJ Odudu dances with Kai Widdrington.

They dance the Salsa to Rhythm Is Gonna Get You/Get On Your Feet by Gloria Estefan.

Charlie says: One of the lifts went pretty wrong there, which was a shame. Perhaps AJ and Kai tried a bit too hard to impress there! That could cost her at this stage, which is a shame, as she’s one of the best dancers in the show.

What the judges say: Shirley takes a big pause. Then says it was full of pure sass and attitude. It was unfortunate how it ended. Anton says the energy was great. Craig says the landings generally were heavy and the transitions a bit ropey, though it was very watchable. Motsi says she almost showed she can do Latin. Almost…

Rebecca’s verdict: AJ absolutely embodies what the salsa is about – letting your hair down and having a good time! The energy was fantastic. Some of the tricks were awesome too. However the transition into the end lift was a big miss and messed up the final vibe of the dance. Such a shame, would’ve scored higher otherwise. Score: 8.

Judges scores:

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

Total: 30

(wk 10: 36 |wk 9: 38 | wk 8: 28 |wk 7: 39 | wk 6: 37 | wk5: 35 | wk 4: 28 wk 3: 35 | wk 2: 31 | wk 1: 34)

Watch it:

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

They’re dancing the Tango to Santa Maria by Gotan Project.

Charlie says: I can’t get excited about Dan, but that has to be one of his better performances. He’s not one of the better dancers, but I’m backing him to reach the final.

What the judges say: Motsi says she’s proud of him. Shirley is complimentary as well, commenting on Dan’s focus. Anton says it was a tale of two halves, one which was great and one not the best. Craig  says it is his favourite of all his dances.

Rebecca’s verdict: Dan actually executed all of his tango steps perfectly and in time so kudos to him for that! However, I found his face expressionless and it seemed like he didn’t know where to look. Good technique but the performance was lacking for me. Score 7.

Judges scores:

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

Total: 31

(wk 10: 31 | wk 9: 31 | wk 8: 29 |wk 7: 28 | 6: 27 | wk5: 28 | wk 4: 26 | wk 3: 21 | wk 2: 26 | wk 1: 24)

Watch it:

19.18 – IT’S TIME FOR ROSE!

Deaf actor Rose Ayling-Ellis dances with Giovani Perni.

They’re dancing the American Smooth to This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) by Natalie Cole.

Charlie says: That was fun, jaunty! And Rose survived the jump, which is a bonus.

What the judges say: Craig thought the whole routine was gorgeous. Motsi feels the song was made for the routine, there was something for everyone and she loved it. Shirley says she blocked out the noise (perhaps forgetting Rose can’t hear much). Anton says there’s a lot to love and she touches his heart. Might be a 10 in here…

Rebecca’s verdict: Loved the cute cards at the start of the routine – very sweet! Rose looks very natural in ballroom so this American Smooth didn’t disappoint. However the routine was a little unexciting for me – saved by a rather marvellous and brave leap into Giovannis arms. Good job. Score: 8.

Judges scores:

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

Total: 39

(wk 10: 33 | wk 9: 37 | wk 8: 39 |wk 7: 32 | 6: 40 | wk5: 37 | wk 4: 27 | wk 3: 36 | wk 2: 26 | wk 1: 22)

Watch it:

19.10 – CBBC presenter Rhys Stephenson dances with Nancy Xu.

They’re dancing the Argentine Tango to In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins.

Charlie says: That was spectacular! Everyone’s gone crazy, two of the judges are on their feet. Really great ending. Think we’ll get a few 10s here! And Rhys has given himself a chance of reaching the semi final after finding himself in the final two several times during the competition.

What the judges say: Anton says it was wonderful, mature. Craig says it was fantastic but a bit out of synch (he won’t give it a 10). Motsi says this was his best so far. Shirley comments on how he keeps coming back from adversity.

Rebecca’s verdict: Wow! Who knew Rhys had it in him! Sleek, focused, intense Argentine tango. He threw Nancy up onto his shoulders with such confidence! All of his lifts were faultless and he hit every beat. A slight adjustment to his posture would’ve made this a perfect score. Loved it. Well done Rhys. Score: 9.

Judges scores:

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

Total: 39

(wk 10: 35 | wk 9: 32 | wk 8: 40 |wk 7: 34 | 6: 33 | wk5: 32 | wk 4: 31 | wk 3: 37 | wk 2: 30 | wk 1: 27)

Watch it:

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

They’re dancing the Salsa to We Are Family by Sister Sledge.

Charlie says: Ooh a bit of a mistake at the end there with the lift. But the rest of it was brilliant.

The judges say: Shirley says they entertained, despite the mistake, and well done. Anton says they came out without any inhibitions and pulled it off. Craig says he loves it when it goes wrong but they both dance brilliantly. Motsi says it was clean and rehearsed, a fantastic start.

Rebecca’s verdict: Disco vibes for Johns salsa! He looked very comfortable with the choreography but a tad too relaxed for me, I’d like to see some real explosive power from John now and to really go for it! A really nice section in the middle out of hold was impressive and bumped up the score for me. But was that a drop at the end….! An 8 for me. John is capable of so much more!!! Let’s go for it!

Judges scores:

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

Total: 32

(wk 10: 39 | wk 9: 32 | wk 8: 38 |wk 7: 35 | 6: 33 | wk5: 38 | wk 4: 29 | wk 3: 39 | wk 2: 31 | wk 1: 30)

Watch it:

18.46 – Rebecca-Anne Withey is our judge tonight and says:

“Stunning opening routine by the pros tonight. One of my favourite Celine Dion songs too 😍 lovely to see Graziano and Oti take centre stage. Gorgeous.”

18.40 – As we prepare for the start of the show, a reminder that we are down to the last five couples!

Tilly (right)was voted out last Sunday, following Tom, Sara, Judi, Ugo, Greg, Katie and Nina in leaving the show.

Robert also withdrew due to health issues.

That leaves just five contenders: Rose, AJ, John, Rhys, and Dan in contention for the glitter ball.

It’s been another eventful week for Rose, appearing on the cover of the Radio Times (left) and also making headlines for refusing to promote private hearing aids.

Motsi will return to the judging panel this weekend, after having to isolate last week.

18.22 – Tonight, deaf actor Rose Alying-Ellis returns to the dance floor for the quarter finals of the show!

Our Deaf Guest Dance Judge this week is Rebecca-Anne Withey! Here she is (left) in judging mode!

This is Rebecca’s fourth turn in the hot seat this series, and she will be be giving her own score for each of the acts, as they happen! She’ll also be back for the final.

What will this week bring? We’ll have all the updates here, written by Charlie Swinbourne.

We’ll also be posting videos of each dance shortly after they’ve left the dance floor, via the Strictly twitter account.

If you’ve missed our previous blogs, you can check out last week’s live blog here, week 9 here, week 8 here, week 7 here, week six 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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