Strictly Come Dancing reveals eighth celebrity to be eliminated
Blackpool week ended with one major star exiting the ballroom
After a ballroom extravaganza at Blackpool Tower, Michelle Visage has become the eighth star to be eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing 2019.
Finding herself in the bottom two for a second week in a row, the RuPaul’s Drag Race star lost the dance-off to Saffron Barker.
Facing the YouTuber and her professional partner AJ Pritchard, Visage and trainer Giovanni Pernice failed to wow the judges with their street-style dance to Madonna’s Vogue.
Judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Bruno Tonioli all voted to save Saffron and AJ. Head judge Shirley Ballas said she would also have chosen to send home Visage.
“I’m having a really difficult time with myself over this,” Revel Horwood said when delivering his decision. "One couple took all the notes on board and one couple were better. And the couple I’ve decided I would like to save is Saffron and AJ.”
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Mabuse also claimed it had been a hard decision, with Toniolo praising both pairs for “raising their game”.
Speaking to host Tess Daly about her time on the show, Visage said: “This whole experience has been amazing. At 51 years old, I never thought I’d be able to do what I have done and to have such an incredible partner.”
Referring to Giovanni, she said: “Obviously I couldn’t have done it without him. He has been so amazing, so transformative. Just my rock and my best friend throughout this entire competition.”
Giovanni added: “We laugh, we cry, we fight and we argue and we’ve done everything. But I’ve loved every single second.”
Only six couples are now in the running for the glitterball trophy, with all remaining pairs expected to return to the dancefloor next week.
Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday 23rd November at 7pm
