There was a big surprise in Sunday's dance-off line-up on Strictly Come Dancing as Max George and his professional partner Dianne Buswell and Maisie Smith and Gorka Marquez finished in the bottom two.

Advertisement

In the end, judges Anton du Beke and Craig Revel Horwood both voted to save the EastEnders star Maisie, who danced a Cha Cha to Cyndi Lauper's hit Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.

Many viewers seemed perplexed about how Maisie finished in the dance-off, after being placed above four couples in the main show: Caroline and Johannes, Ranvir and Giovanni, Max and Dianne and JJ and Amy.

Team Maisie defended the teenage actress online against accusations of over-confidence.

One fan wrote: "#Strictly Getting a bit bored of reading stuff on here saying that @maisie_smith_is too confident? Why is it a crime to have confidence in yourself? She's not cocky IMO. She's talented. She's young, but females are given a tougher time on this show than the Men..."

More like this

Maisie famously won the Children in Need Strictly special in 2019 and has had stage school training, but many felt that should be ignored in assessing her performances in this series.

A clue about why Maisie isn't everyone's cup of tea was provided by one fan on Twitter.

Meanwhile, The Wanted star Max became the fourth casualty of Strictly Come Dancing 2020.

Stand-in judge Anton explained why he voted to save Maisie: “Well, I have to say it's so close. They were both immaculate through that dance. It literally was just the smallest timing. For me, I'm going to have to save Maisie and Gorka.”

Max's fan club members were distraught.

That sentiment was shared by many, who felt the wrong two pairs had ended up dancing off, even considering Max's F-bomb at the end of the dance-off.

One fan wrote: "Well done, Max. Much better than JJ and Jamie this week, even the first time he did it. #Strictly".

Another viewer wrote: "Absolutely gutted for @MaxGeorge & @dbuzz6589 Max you did so brilliantly and were fabulous to watch! And any bias aside, we genuinely believe you had so much more to give".

Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday 21st November, including a tribute to Blackpool.

Advertisement

While you’re waiting visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight, or check out our guide to new TV shows 2020 to find out what's airing this autumn and beyond.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement