Strictly Come Dancing 2021 live: All the action from Week 12 semi-final as it happens
Follow all the ups and downs of tonight's Strictly semi-final with our live blog.
BBC
Published: Saturday, 11 December 2021 at 6:24 pm
Live coverage of this event has now concluded
After a dazzling Strictly Come Dancing semi-final, we now need to brace ourselves to say goodbye to one of the remaining four contestants in the Strictly Come Dancing 2021 line-up in anticipation of next weekend's final.
Rose Ayling-Ellis, John Whaite, Rhys Stephenson and and AJ Odudu brought their absolute A-game tonight to showcase some of the best routines we've seen all series.
Judges and audience alike were blown away by the standard of dancing, but it was Rose who really stole the show with her Argentine Tango.
Rose and her professional partner Giovanni Pernice scored a perfect 40 (not the only routine to manage that) for their sensational routine.
Catch up on all the biggest and best moments from a history-making semi-final with our live blog below.
And get up-to-date on the Strictly Come Dancing leaderboard as the competition reaches its climax.
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Dec 11
Who will make it to the final?
After a breathtaking semi-final, it's now time to vote.
Quite how we will choose between the four remaining contestants is beyond me – so good luck!
One Strictly semi-finalist will have to bid farewell to the competition in tomorrow night's results show, which frankly seems a terrible shame because they've all been incredible tonight.
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Dec 11
40 points for Rose and Gio
Even the judges wish they had bigger numbers they could award.
Rose and Giovanni somehow manage to obliterate the competition on a night where most performances have scored almost perfectly. What a way to close the show.
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Dec 11
It's Rose and Giovanni's world – we all just live in it
The choreography cup has been won – and it's Giovanni's name engraved on it.
Rose oozes elegance in a stunning Argentine Tango that's headed straight for the Strictly history books and makes it crystal clear why she's the bookies' favourite to win the Glitterball trophy.
"That was the dance of the night, the dance of the month, the dance of the series!" Motsi exclaims. She's not wrong.
Bearing in mind that she scored 39 points for her Waltz earlier tonight, Anton effuses: "This is way better than your Waltz."
Craig says that Argentine Tango belongs in the final (he's also not wrong) and everyone's so over-excited they don't even know how to process how great Rose is.
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Dec 11
John pulls off the highest-scoring Jive of the series
An impressive 39 points from the judges awards John the accolade of the highest-scoring Jive of Strictly series 19 so far.
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Dec 11
Sparkle explosion alert
John and Johannes are giving the people what they want tonight a fun Jive and 8 million sparkles on their matching (bicep-baring) costumes.
It's all good news from the judges and it's starting to look like a very, very close competition – too close to call.
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Dec 11
AJ and Kai show off their chemistry
There's an entire faction of Strictly fans who have been waiting weeks for this: it's AJ and Kai's romantic Rumba.
There's definitely enough sizzle to satisfy their supporters and that's a move which is likely to get them through to the final.
Anton is a fan of the more sophisticated Rumba and piles on the praise, before Craig congratulates AJ on the technical difficulty she handled in the routine.
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Dec 11
Rhys and Nancy score 38 points for their Samba
It's Rhys' highest Latin mark to date, meaning he's beaten personal bests with both of his routines tonight – the semi-final is definitely the right time to up your game this much!
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Dec 11
Rhys brings a Samba for round two
The Latin hips are out as Rhys and Nancy show off a serious change of pace from their serious Tango.
It's packed with energy and shimmies, and the judges don't seem bothered by the slightly wild edge that gives the performance a bit of a messy, risky feel – as if he might mess up a step at any moment.
In fact, Craig says Rhys "smashed it", despite the fact the Samba could have had a "smoother bounce".
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Dec 11
Rose equals John's 39 points
Again, it's Craig who opts for the nine paddle rather, holding Rose and Giovanni back from a perfect score.
With each couple having performed one routine, AJ and Kai top the leaderboard with 40, with Rose and Giovanni and John and Johannes in joint second place on 39, while Rhys and Nancy tail slightly with 36 points.
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Dec 11
Rose dazzles with a romantic Waltz
Rose and Giovanni's Waltz captivates the audience completely – you can hear a pin drop in the studio.
Motsi praises the pair for their connection, adding that she wants to award Rose a "10 with a crown" to show how much of an A* performance it was.
Shirley calls Rose "quality personified" and Anton gets a little emotional, his voice cracking as he tells them: "I love it."
Of course, Craig finds "one tiny, hesitant, sticky right foot" to take issue with, but admits it's "one of the most amazing Waltzes" he's seen.
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Dec 11
John and Johannes' Couple's Choice scores 39 points
Only Craig stands between John and a perfect score, with the tiny issues with "flow" holding the harsh critic back from awarding the performance 10 points.
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Dec 11
John tells a personal story
John and Johannes already made history as Strictly's first ever all-male couple to compete on the show and it's been clear how much the journey means to both of them since Week One.
After lots of tears rehearsing a deeply personal routine in the training room, they bring their Couple's Choice dance to the floor.
Set to Adele's Hometown, they are perfectly in sync throughout, bringing emotion and plenty of impressive lifts and tricks.
Craig praises John for his technical accomplishment and storytelling and Motsi says it's the first time she feels the star "completely let go".
"It's bigger than the both of us and I know that there's people that are resonating with it right now," Johannes tells Claudia.
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Dec 11
AJ gets 10s across the board
A standing ovation from Shirley and Motsi followed by gushing praise from the judges – including Anton lamenting the fact AJ couldn't perform her Quickstep at Blackpool, as would do it justice – made it clear big numbers were to be expected.
And the judges didn't disappoint: AJ and Kai score a perfect 40.
"It's when it all comes together like pure Strictly magic," Shirley tells AJ.
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Dec 11
AJ and Kai Quickstep onto the floor
After beating Dan Walker in last week's dance off, AJ begins her semi-final in style with a classic Hollywood-style Quickstep.
It's a Quickstep, she's got the Top Hat-inspired gown on – brace yourselves for the judges to, once again, liken a Strictly contestant to Fred and Ginger.
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Dec 11
Rhys gets his highest Ballroom score
The effervescent Rhys pulls it out of the bag with his first semi-final routine of the night, scoring nines across the board, 36 points – his highest mark for a Ballroom routine in the series so far.
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Dec 11
Rhys Stephenson opens the show
After some messages of support from his fans, Rhys and Nancy are first to take to the dance floor.
An extended opening sequence dancing solo shows how far the CBBC presenter has come over the course of the past 12 weeks – his confidence is high tonight.
Shirley Ballas and Motsi are full of praise for Rhys' Tango, but Anton du Beke has some minor criticism for his work out of hold.
Craig Revel Horwood, meanwhile, is surprisingly without negatives to fire at Rhys, who has fought hard for his place in the competition, surviving three dance offs to date.
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Dec 11
The semi-final outfit parade
It's that time on a Saturday night: the Strictly presenters' live show looks are revealed.
Claudia Winkleman is keeping her high series 19 fashion standards in a dazzling rhinestoned suit, while Tess Daly brings a scarlet jumpsuit to the table.
But it is (of course) Motsi Mabuse who steals the show, as per usual, serving disco, sequinned sensation.
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Dec 11
The competition heats up
Tonight's dramatic intro sets the tone for our semi-finalists to fight it out for the three places up for grabs in the grand final.
The judges are taking things very seriously and AJ, Rhys, John and Rose look ready to bring their A-game.
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Dec 11
It's nearly semi-final time
With less than an hour to go before the Strictly semi-final kicks off, the semi-finalists are getting glammed up and prepped to take to the dance floor.
Strictly Come Dancing songs and dances for the semi-final were revealed earlier this week, with the contestants performing two routines each for the first time.
AJ and her partner Kai Widdrington will dance the Rumba and the Quickstep; Rose and Giovanni Pernice are performing an Argentine Tango and a Waltz; John and Johannes Radebe will dance the Jive and their Couple's Choice; Rhys and his professional partner Nanci Xu are set to debut their Samba and Tango.
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