Strictly Come Dancing fans bid farewell to another celebrity over the weekend as the remaining contestants set their sights on the final.
The competition is ramping up on Strictly Come Dancing as the remaining stars on the BBC show have their eyes on the Glitterball trophy as the final looms closer.
However, one person who has lost out on a chance of becoming a Strictly champion is Alex Kingston, who was eliminated from the competition on Sunday night.
The actress found herself at the bottom of the leaderboard after making multiple mistakes throughout her routine, which ended with Alex in the dance-off against EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal.
Although this wasn’t the first time that Balvinder was dancing for her place in the show, as the 46-year-old has found herself in the dance-off a total of five times so far. In the end, the judges opted to save Balvinder once again, ending Alex’s time in the competition.
Despite the soapstar being one of the bookies’ favourites to leave each week for almost every weekend, Balvinder has defied the odds and has continuously earned her place in the show.
Now, it seems as though she could make Strictly history and cause upset with fans if she wins the entire competition, as her odds of winning are now 200/1, according to Ladbrokes.
Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: “Balvinder has ripped up the rule book up to this point in the series, and having made it this far, a few punters are starting to think she could well make Strictly history over the next few weeks.”
Currently, George Clarke continues to head the betting at 4/6, with Karen Carney close behind with 7/4.
Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope has drifted to 8/1, ahead of West End star Amber Davies, whose odds are at 50/1 of winning the Glitterball trophy.
This week, Balvinder has broken her silence on making it through to the quarter final, despite landing in the dance-off multiple times.
Sharing a series of images on her Instagram account, she wrote: “Thank you for all your votes. I know we’ve ended up in the dance off 5 times, been saved (thankfully), come back fighting, and set a new record in the process.
“But, your investment in us means more than anything in the world. Your gorgeous messages of support do get read and it humbles my heart to know there is so much love for Team Balian. Thank you!”
The star went on to tell fans that as she hasn’t been in the Clauditorium much with her professional partner, viewers may not know much about her unless they watch EastEnders.
Balvinder highlighted her pride at being part of Strictly Come Dancing, calling it a ‘dream’
She added: “Here I am, through to the quarter final, with the most brilliant dance partner, Jules, creating memories and experiencing lots of firsts together.
“It’s also my birthday on Thursday. It usually slips by quite quietly, but this year – it’s Strictly special. I couldn’t have asked for a better gift – I am truly very lucky.”
Strictly Come Dancing is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.