Strictly Come Dancing 2025: Judge Anton Du Beke breaks silence over Lewis Cope's shock elimination
He's clearly having second thoughts…Anton Du Beke has now broken his silence on last weekend’s shock Strictly Come Dancing exit, which saw Lewis Cope booted from the competition in circumstances many viewers are still struggling to get their heads around.
On Saturday (December 6), Lewis and his pro partner Katya Jones took on a high-energy Salsa to Dance at the Gym from West Side Story. Their routine earned them an impressive 35 – enough to land them in a three-way tie for second place alongside George Clarke and Balvinder Sopal.
At the top of the leaderboard were Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin with a perfect 40, while Karen Carney and Carlos Gu sat at the bottom on 34. Yet in a twist no one saw coming, Lewis found himself in the dance-off against Amber on Sunday (December 7). The judges then unanimously opted to save her.
And just like that, Lewis’ Strictly journey came to an end. Fans have been venting ever since, convinced the result didn’t reflect the night’s performances. Now, judging by Anton’s latest comments, it seems even he might be questioning how things played out.
Strictly judge Anton Du Beke admits he ‘messed up’
Anton is currently touring with his show, Christmas With Anton Du Beke and Friends. During a show at Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, Anton is said to have swallowed his pride and spoke candidly about the weekend’s events.
“We messed it up on Saturday night, though, didn’t we?” he said to the audience. “We really did, it was a tough dance-off, but you can’t moan if you don’t vote.”
It’s worth noting that the outcome isn’t affected by votes alone. Strictly’s scoring system works by combining the judges’ scores with audience votes. Those who get the highest combined score are at the top of the leaderboard, while the bottom two are at risk of being eliminated.
The bottom two are then pitted against each other in a dance-off in front of the judges. The judges then determine which contestant to save based on that performance. So, while viewers’ votes play a big part in Strictly’s outcome, the final decision is ultimately down to the judges.
Huge backlash against the judges
The judges haven’t just been under pressure from viewers this week.
Several former Strictly pros have waded in too, and they’ve had plenty to say about that controversial three-way tie.
James Jordan was first out of the gate, unleashing a furious rant and insisting he “knew something bad was going to happen” the moment the leaderboard was announced.
Ian Waite wasn’t far behind, calling the whole situation “very cloak and dagger”, while Vincent Simone offered a more emotional take.
He praised Lewis’ run on the show and said simply: “What he brought to the show was unbelievable.”
With tensions rising on and off the dance floor, it’s shaping up to be another unmissable week of Strictly drama. And we’re absolutely here for it.
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