Lewis Cope tops Strictly leaderboard with perfect 40 as La Voix withdraws

Former Emmerdale star Lewis Cope has topped the Strictly Come Dancing leaderboard with a perfect score of 40 for its Blackpool special, after La Voix was forced to withdraw from the BBC show following an injury.

There will be no elimination this weekend, after the 45-year-old RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star, whose real name is Christopher Dennis, pulled out, having initially been given a bye to the next round of the competition after the injury was announced last week.

Speaking at the start of Saturday’s episode, presenter Tess Daly said: “Now, as you may have heard, La Voix sustained an injury, meaning that she can’t dance in Blackpool tonight, and following further advice from our medical team, we can now confirm she has very sadly had to withdraw from the competition.”

Fellow presenter Claudia Winkleman said: “We will be speaking to La Voix on tomorrow night’s show, we love you so, so much.”

The presenters later revealed that no contestant would be leaving Strictly during its Blackpool special, with no dance-off planned, and votes and scores set to be carried over to next week.

La Voix, who was paired with professional dance partner Aljaz Skorjanec, could be seen watching on in the audience in Blackpool on Saturday, as the show’s remaining six couples performed.

In a post on Instagram, La Voix said: “I’m absolutely devastated to be withdrawing from Strictly Come Dancing. This isn’t the glittering exit I ever imagined, and it breaks my heart to feel like I’m letting people down.

“My spirit wanted to keep dancing but my foot has other ideas. Thank you for every cheer, every vote, and every sparkle of support – it’s meant the world to me. This isn’t the ending I imagined, but I’ll cherish this forever.”

In the rest of the show, Cope and his partner Katya Jones achieved a perfect score of 40 for their Charleston to Arctic Monkeys’ I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor, with judge Motsi Mabuse praising the couple, saying their “energy was insane” and the “roof is off”.

Former England Lioness-turned-football pundit Karen Carney and her dance partner Carlos Gu were close behind, scoring 39 for their paso doble to Carmina Burana’s O Fortuna.

The dance had the judges on their feet, prompting Craig Revel Horwood to remark “darling, that’s how you score a goal”, calling the dance “incredible”.

Social media star George Clarke and his professional partner Alexis Warr also scored 39 for their salsa to Bob Sinclar’s Rock This Party (Everybody Dance Now).

Head judge Shirley Ballas said the performance had a “fantastic vibe”, and judge Anton Du Beke described it as the “cherry on the cake” of one of the best Blackpool shows he had seen.

Reality TV star Amber Davies, whose grandmother was watching on in the audience, and her dance partner Nikita Kuzmin scored 36 for their quickstep to S Club 7’s 2000 hit Reach.

Ballas said she was “exhausted” by the performance, praising it for “great footwork” and describing the dance as a “Hollywood extravaganza”.

EastEnders actress Balvinder Sopal and dancer Julian Caillon scored 33 for their Argentine tango to The Logical Song by Supertramp, which Du Beke said he “loved” for its “real characterisation”, saying it was one of their best dances.

Actress Alex Kingston and her dance partner Johannes Radebe scored 35 for their couple’s choice to a mash-up of History Repeating by Propellerheads and Look At Me by Geri Halliwell, with Ballas calling the former Doctor Who star an “elegant, expressive lady”.

La Voix is the second contestant to pull out of this year’s competition due to injury, after Neighbours actor Stefan Dennis pulled out with an injury to his calf in October.

The Australian actor, 66, was paired with professional dancer Dianne Buswell, and said he was “devastated” to leave the show.

Strictly Come Dancing returns for its results show on Sunday at 7.15pm on BBC One.