Chris Appleton became the first celebrity to leave Strictly News after losing the first dance-off on Sunday night. He and Amy Dowden were placed in the bottom two with Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu, then sent home once the judges broke the tie.
The decision came after the first results show of Strictly Come Dancing 2026, when scores from last week's opening live show were added to Saturday night's public vote. The elimination reduced the competition to fourteen couples and turned the first live results show into a clean line in the series.
Baywatch versus Pretty Woman
Appleton and Dowden danced a cha cha to "I'll Be Ready" from Baywatch, while Winstone and Gu answered with the same dance to "Oh, Pretty Woman" from Pretty Woman. The pairing mattered because the bottom two had to perform under the same pressure, and the judges then had to choose which couple survived the first dance-off of the series.
Judges Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke all voted to save Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu. Craig Revel Horwood said that he would have also saved Jaime and Carlos if he had needed to vote, so the result was settled before his turn mattered.
Sunday night’s first result
That left Chris Appleton and Amy Dowden as the first couple to leave the show. For a first results show, that is the only outcome that really counts: the season has now moved from a full field to one couple down, and every scoring decision from here on has a direct elimination risk attached to it.
The broadcast also used the results show to widen the evening beyond the dance-off. The four young performers who play Matilda sang "Quiet" alongside composer Tim Minchin, and The Strictly Professionals performed a routine inspired by The Devil Wears Prada.
The remaining fourteen couples are the real story now. Their margin for error has already shrunk, and the first public vote has shown that the opening scoreboard can send even a familiar name out before the series has properly settled.
