Strictly’s Anton brands “brilliant” performance one of the best “in the history” of the entire series

Anton Du Beke declared Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin’s latest Strictly Come Dancing routine one of the greatest dances the show has ever seen after their sensational performance in the latest live episode.

The pair took to the floor with a high-energy Charleston to Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat from Guys and Dolls, delivering a routine packed with precision and show-stopping theatrical flair that brought the studio audience to its feet.

Anton delivered one of his most effusive speeches of the series so far, telling the couple: "This was so brilliant. I don’t think I’ve seen anything like this. We say this a lot over the years, 'Oh, I’ve never seen a dance better' – [but] it would be very difficult to find a dance better than this, ever, in the history of Strictly Come Dancing. So brilliant.

“My only disappointment about the whole thing is I can’t give you 25 [points].”

Craig Revel Horwood, usually the toughest judge to impress, was equally glowing in his assessment, praising the technical brilliance of the routine. "The timing and execution was flawless," he said, before adding that the performance was "an absolute sensation". Even Craig could only jokingly criticise the dance as being "too clean" and "too neat".

Motsi Mabuse struggled to contain her excitement as she shared her verdict with the couple. "I have never, ever seen anything like that. One word: perfection. That’s it," she said, drawing huge cheers from the audience.

Shirley Ballas also joined the chorus of praise, singling Love Island's Amber out for her star quality. Calling the routine "absolutely fantastic", she added that Amber was "an absolute star, in every sense of the word".

The overwhelming reaction from the panel was reflected in the scores, with Amber and Nikita awarded a perfect 40 – a maximum 10 from each of the four judges.

This was the second week in a row that the pair earned a perfect score and topped the Strictly leaderboard, with last week's Jive to Proud Mary by Tina Turner earning a similarly rapturous reception from the judges.

With the competition entering a crucial stage, Amber and Nikita will now be hoping to maintain their momentum in the final weeks as the race for the Glitterball trophy intensifies.

Read more: Strictly’s Neil interrupts judges’ comments – and earns a cheeky put-down from Motsi

Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One and iPlayer on Sunday, 7th December at 7:45pm.

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