Will Mellor has become the 11th celebrity to be eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing 2022.
The actor and his professional partner Nancy Xu found themselves bottom of the leaderboard after last night’s semi final, scoring 70 points out of a possible 80 from the judges for their two dances. After the judges’ scores were combined with the public vote, Will and Nancy landed in the dreaded dance-off, facing singer Fleur East and her partner Vito Coppola.
As all the remaining couples performed two dances last night, they were given the choice of which routine to perform in the dance-off. Will and Nancy danced their Couples’ Choice routine, whilst Fleur and Vito chose to reprise their Charleston.
After both pairs had performed again, the four judges gave their verdict on who should make it through to next week’s final. Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse both voted for Fleur and Vito, whilst Anton Du Beke voted for Will and Nancy. Head judge Shirley Ballas therefore had the casting vote and chose to save Fleur and Vito, meaning that Will and Nancy were sent home.
When presenter Tess Daly asked him about his Strictly Come Dancing experience, Will said: “I have to thank you all for giving me this chance to put a smile on my mum’s face, she deserves it. I’ll take whatever I have learnt from this show forward in whatever I do because it shows you can achieve more than you think. I didn’t think I’d be able to get anywhere near this and I am so proud of what we have achieved but also everybody who has voted for me, who has supported me, the messages I’ve had from my local community and children. Thank you all so much, we really, really appreciated every bit.”
Will also showed his support for the Strictly production crew and his fellow contestants, adding: “Anyone watching this show, the people that work on this show, the crew, the make up team, the wardrobe team, the judges, the contestants, this is an unbelievable journey. If you get the chance to get on this floor then do it, it’s unbelievable this place.”
Tess then asked Nancy if she had any words for her partner. She said: “I want to thank everyone who works on the show, it’s an incredible show, I’ve had such an amazing journey. The support from the whole team is just phenomenal. I’m proud of the partnership, we’ve had such an amazing journey together. I really wish I could make more memories with you and your family.”
Tonight’s results show also featured a special guest appearance from singer Lewis Capaldi who performed his latest single ‘Pointless’, alongside a stunning routine from Strictly’s professional dancers Giovanni Pernice and Katya Jones.
Will and Nancy will be joining Rylan for their first exclusive televised interview live on Strictly It Takes Two tonight at 9pm on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
The remaining four couples will take to the dancefloor next week for the final time as they bid to lift the glitterball trophy when Strictly Come Dancing: The Final airs live on Saturday 17th December at 7.15pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
