Strictlys

Emma Willis has shared an update on Delta Goodrem after she was forced out of Strictly Come Dancing and admitted she could tell “something wasn’t right” with the pop star

Emma Willis has shared an update on Delta Goodrem after she was forced out of Strictly Come Dancing.

Pop singer Delta is currently in the lineup of celebrities trying their luck on the dancefloor. Whilst she and Kai Widdrington managed to top the leader board last week with their Salsa, it quickly emerged that the singer had done the show in “absolute agony” and on the Sunday, she went to hospital with a rib injury.

Appearing on Thursday’s edition of It Takes Two, Emma told host Ellie Taylor that it was somewhat obvious that something was amiss with Delta’s health at the time. She said: “It’s such a shame. I think it became quite apparent after the show that last week that something wasn’t right.”

Delta has been given a free pass – or bye – to the next round of the competition and, even though she will miss out on Icons Week, Emma said the cast and crew are hopeful this will mean she will be back and fighting fit.

She added: “We’re just hoping that because she has this bye week, by the week after, she’ll be good to get back. Fingers crossed!”

The TV presenter Emma, 50, took the reins of the new series of the BBC Saturday night favourite along with Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe when Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman left at the end of last year.

Delta, who is best known for starring in Australian soap Neighbours and released hits such as Innocent Eyes before representing her home country at Eurovision earlier this year, has broken her rib but is hoping to recover in time for next week and – following her doctor’s order – has been getting rest at home.

Taking to social media, she wrote: “Just wanted to come on here and say a big Thank you to everyone who has sent messages and wrote lovely comments the last couple of days, I see them all.

“Not the start to the week I’d hoped for but your support has meant the world. Also special big thank you to my amazing dance partner @kaiwidd who I will miss dancing with this weekend but I am so beyond grateful for his guidance and friendship through it all.. as well as the wonderful Strictly team!!”

She added: “Resting and recovering at home and will be cheering everyone on from my couch on Saturday night xx.” Delta had previously said she was “absolutely gutted” to be out the show for the week, and hoped she’d be back the following week.

It was revealed today that Delta’s planned dance to Dolly Parton’s Jolene with Kai Widdrington will be performed instead by Amy Dowden.

A spokesperson for the show had said: “Due to injury, Delta Goodrem has been advised by doctors to rest and, as a result, will not dance on this weekend’s Strictly Come Dancing.

“In line with the rules of the show, Delta and Kai will receive a bye through to next week when it is hoped they will be able to dance again. We wish Delta the very best as she continues her recovery.”

Delta added: “I’ve been loving every second of this experience, so having to sit this one out is heartbreaking – especially after the high of Saturday night.” “I cannot tell you how much I love being a part of this magical show. I’m going to focus on resting and recovering, and hopefully I’ll be back on that dancefloor very soon. Thank you so much to everyone for all the love and support. It’s so appreciated. I’ll be cheering everyone on from the sidelines this week!”

Sources revealed that Delta’s rib injury “deteriorated” and she was “in absolute agony” performing. She was later rushed to hospital to undergo tests but is now resting at home.

A source said: “Delta has been pushing herself as far as possible to impress Strictly viewers. A small injury at the start of last week has quickly deteriorated. On Saturday night, despite putting on a brave face and smiling, she was in absolute agony.

“Filming didn’t wrap until late Saturday night and she was exhausted. The plan was to go home and get some rest but she could hardly sleep. On Sunday morning she was raced to A&E and then spent most of Monday also at the hospital.”

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Janette Manrara spoke about her husband becoming the latest person to get eliminated from the BBC show.

Aljaž Škorjanec and Melanie Walters were the latest couple to get eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing.

Now former professional dancer on the BBC show, Janette Manrara, has shared how her husband Aljaz is feeling after he wasn’t saved by the judges during Sunday’s results show (October 11) with his celebrity partner Melanie Walters.

While she appeared on This Morning to speak with Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley about her role in a new play, the 42-year-old discussed balancing motherhood alongside her demanding career, particularly while Aljaz features on the BBC programme. The couple are parents to three-year-old daughter Lyra.

After praising their family and support network, she said of combining work and home life: “As long as you plan, if you’ve got a plan and you need the village. Between the two things, you can make it work. Aljaz has no clue, by the way, he just says, ‘Where is she today and who’s got her?'”

She continued: “He’s an amazing dad. At the moment, obviously, he’s left the competition now with Melanie (Walters). He’s sad about leaving the show, but he’s also super happy because he’s going to spend so much time with her (Lyra) now, which is nice.”

Although Aljaz is no longer in the running to lift the Glitterball trophy, he’ll still appear in the professional group dances. Elsewhere, Janette spoke candidly about her feelings upon missing out on the presenting role on the BBC show, reports Wales Online.

When veteran hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman departed from their positions on the BBC programme, speculation was running wild about who might step into their shoes.

While many had tipped Janette as a frontrunner — having previously been a professional dancer on the show before leaving to front spin-off programme It Takes Two — it emerged that she had auditioned for the role but was unsuccessful. The presenting duties ultimately went to Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe.

Ben noted that Janette had previously been forthright about feeling ‘heartbroken’ at being overlooked for the role. She responded: “Yeah, I’ve talked about it on Jamie Laing’s podcast, it was (tough) because Strictly was such a huge part of my life, I was there for almost 14 years.

“Aljaz is still in the show, so I just hoped that it would go in that way for me. But, it didn’t, and that’s ok because I think life finds a way of still giving you that magic that is needed for you. I really wanted to act. I had been working on my acting skills for the last couple of years, actually.”

She continued: “Then, I did Roxie Hart in Chicago on tour, and I got the bug for serious acting, so I really started to push that narrative. I think life has a funny way of closing one door and opening another, and that’s exactly what happened.

“Now I watch Strictly and watch Aljaz and everybody on the show, and I’m just buzzing for them. I’ve been there, and I know how exciting that feeling is.”

This Morning continues weekdays on ITV from 10am. Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturdays on October 17 from 6:15pm.

Jaime Winstone was close to tears as she emotionally discussed how close she was to being the first celebrity to be voted off this year’s Strictly Come Dancing algonside Carlos Gu

Strictly’s Jaime Winstone was seen holding back the tears as she opened up on the stress of the first dance-off of the series. The actress found herself in the bottom two on Movie Night following the public vote.

Thankfully for the daughter of Ray Winstone, the judges were all on her side, unanimously voting to let her return to the dance floor next week. But speaking to host Ellie Taylor on It Takes Two, Jaime, 41, was clearly emotional as she opened up on the experience alongside her professional dance partner Carlos Gu.

She revealed her emotional rollercoaster after narrowly avoiding the chop. Instead, celebrity hair stylist Chris Appleton was sent packing alongside Amy Dowden.

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Jaime said: “It has been really emotional, there were certain things that Chris said yesterday – you really do go back to that child in school going ‘I don’t fit in’ – when actually some of the greatest things about you are what make you stand out.

“Yeah, a lot of insecurities happened yesterday. But you know, it’s not how you fall, it’s how you get back up again.” Carlos was caught in his first dance-off in three years. And he revealed the situation had left him heartbroken. But he claimed his feelings were more for his partner than himself.

He said he felt the decision was “unfair”, with his words leaving Jaime to well up. As she clutched her partner’s hand, he went on to praise how much she had grown as a dancer in such a short space of time.

In the dance off, Chris and Amy performed their Cha Cha to I’ll Be Ready from Baywatch, before Jaime and Carlos performed their Cha Cha to Oh, Pretty Woman from Pretty Woman.

Carlos also recently shared his heartache at friend Amy’s early exit or the second year running. Speaking out about the early elimination, Carlos took to Instagram on Monday. He said: “My heart is broken!!! To my sister from another mother @amy_dowden, to @chrisappleston1, I wish people could [have] had more chance to see what a beautiful human you are!”

On Sunday night, Strictly aired it’s first results show of 2026. According to ratings data shared by Digital i, Sunday’s show drew in 4.5million viewers, compared to 6.2million last year.

This comes after it was reported that the first live show of this year’s series peaked at 5million viewers. This dropped by more than a million year on year, as 2025’s first live show attracted an average of 6.2million views.

But a Strictly spokesperson said: “Strictly was the most watched programme of the night, with a peak of five million viewers. As ever, overnight ratings do not give the full picture of all those who watch in an on-demand world.”

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Shaun Wright-Phillips is adamant he’s having a great time on Strictly Come Dancing – he just needs to tackle the issue of looking very serious on screen.

The former footballer, 40, showed plenty of technique in the opening week but was clearly thinking hard about the moves when he scored just 15, and he hopes to look more relaxed this weekend.

He and pro partner Alexis Warr are taking on a salsa to the Bee Gees Seventies classic ‘You Should Be Dancing’ from Saturday Night Fever as part of Movie Week on the BBC show.

On the BBC show, Shaun says: “It’s been way harder than I expected on multiple fronts, not just the atmosphere, not just the viewers watching, but to play the part and try and do the acting and smiling, as well as concentrating on the most difficult parts of the dance. That is kind of where I lost my happy face and went straight into ‘football serious mode’ to make sure I got all the steps right.

“And to be honest, that is one thing I was really happy about is the fact that the steps that I was taught and my arm placement was correct. And that’s what I went in there trying to do.”

He adds: “It’s not even about being the first out. I just want to be the best I can be at the dances that I’m taught. So the competitive edge is still there, but it’s more with myself to become the best that Alexis can possibly get me to than against all the other contestants.

“Yeah, of course I want to get to the final. Who doesn’t want to get to the final in Strictly? But the learning path and the journey and meeting the wonderful people behind the scene, the pros, the other cast, all plays a major factor in it as well for me.”

Strictly judge Motsi Mabuse said Shaun was too “shy” whilst Craig Revel Horwood mocked his hopes of dancing “like a pro” by saying that would take a good few weeks yet and then gave him a score of just ‘2’.

But unfazed, Shaun says: “I want to say I wasn’t shy. Of course, I was nervous and terrified in the moment, but that face wasn’t me not expressing myself.

“That was me expressing myself in a way that I’ve just known how all my life in terms of concentrating and focusing on what needs to be done at what times. You’ve got 90 seconds, so you have to hit everything on time, otherwise, it can mess up everything else. So it was just for my first dance, it was a lot to think about.

“Honestly, I’m used to being criticised and told how to make myself better through my football career. So everything the judges say, whether I agree or not, I respect it. They’re the masters of that trade and I’m going to try and implement it into this next dance coming up the best I can do and hopefully just keep growing with more and more with confidence.”

Alexis adds: “He definitely was enjoying it and he was making sound effects throughout this dance as well. We were hyping each other up, talking, saying, ‘Let’s go’.

“We are trying to experiment with what it’s like to be more animated and just to be more external with everything.”

Shaun, 44, played for Manchester City, Chelsea and England during his career, and is the adopted son of Arsenal legend Ian Wright. His mum Sharon is also a keen supporter and Strictly fan and they sometimes dance around the house together on a Sunday with music blaring out.

On his family feedback, Shaun says: I spoke to my dad after the show. He’s just proud that I’m doing it because he knows it’s way out of my comfort zone. And to do it, he’s just chuffed that I did it.

“But my mum was there and all she kept saying is, ‘Come on son, you’ve got to shake those hips a little bit more’. But that was about it. I just said, ‘You try being out there then’.”

His fancy footwork which used to see him gliding down the wing on the pitch may be an asset of sorts when it comes to Strictly, but he says the main thing that translates is his work ethic.

He it pushing hard this week in the hope that practice makes perfect.

“I would say the part that transfers over is that no matter how tired I am, if Alexis says, ‘Again’, I’m ready to go again. No matter how much it kills me, I will go again just to try and help it become more set into my body. I’d rather just keep doing it over and over again. No matter how tedious it might feel, I will just keep going.

Partner Alexis agrees and adds: “I definitely do see that being the biggest transfer over is his work ethic. It’s really impressive. I’m sometimes the one that has to be like, ‘Okay, give me five minutes’.

“This week we’re definitely not playing it safe, and so definitely pushing him to the max with certain things. But he is such a hard worker and is really putting in the effort. So I’m proud and I’m happy with where it’s at, so I’m really excited for the performance.”

And as a former Man City player, I also wondered if he had given much thought this week to the Premier League victory over the club in court over breaches of its financial regulations, which could see the club relegated or titles taken away from them.

But laid back Shaun is not letting it affect him at all.

“I’m over it to be totally honest with you,” he says, referring to the process which has taken a number of years.

“It’s been going on for that long. There’s one thing I can say on it, whatever has happened behind the scenes, the players and the fans, they didn’t pay for that. And no matter how much money you spend, it doesn’t buy you the Premier League. That’s my personal opinion.”

He adds: “It’s disheartening to see what’s out there, but at the end of the day, it will all resolve itself whatever way it’s going to do it, and it’s just onwards and upwards. But in terms of, for me, for here, I’ve got tunnel vision on right now.

“There’s way too much to think about in the routines that they are giving me to have any thought process outside of Strictly right now. I just hope everyone will vote for us this week and can help us get through.”

* Strictly Come Dancing continues tonight, Saturday October 3, on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer at 6.15pm.

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Strictly Come Dancing contestant Graeme Hall has been forced to defend his prior dance background on It Takes Two, after it emerged that he took part in ballroom and latin competitions

Strictly Come Dancing star Graeme Hall has addressed his dance background on It Takes Two. He was the subject of online speculation after it emerged that he had entered ballroom and latin competitions in the past.

Graeme, 60, made his live Strictly debut on Saturday 26 September, when he and Lauren Oakley danced a Cha Cha Cha and surprised fans with how rhythmical he was. Soon after, fans took to the internet to share that the celebrity dog trainer did, in fact, have dance experience.

An online record was put on social media of Graeme’s dance scores from competitions, dating back to 2013 when he competed in an Over 35s Intermediate Latin contest. His most recent competition was was in 2019, when he took part in the ballroom section of the Champions of Tomorrow competition.

Graeme was asked about his dance experience on Strictly spin off show It Takes Two. Host Ellie Taylor said: “A lot of people online have been talking about the fact that you have had sort of some dance experience – do you think that’s helping you, do you think it’s something to be considered?”

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Graeme answered: “It does and it doesn’t. You’re right as a hobby I did a bit of ballroom and latin and I entered a few competitions. The problem with that is, I wasn’t very good then and that was quite a few years ago.”

He added that his dance partner Lauren had to “undo all the bad things that I was doing” and put it right and indicated with his hands that their training was very up and down.

Graeme and Lauren’s first dance was to Elvis Presley’s Hound Dog and they received 24 out 40 for their routine. Fans complimented the pair on their dancing, with one writing: “I already loved Graeme and we all know Lauren is a superstar but nothing could’ve prepared me for this! What a fabulous pairing and what a great first dance. Think I’ve found my winners already.”

Another added: “This is the only dance all night that had me smiling from beginning to end! Graeme has such an ease and quiet elegance when he dances and he’s so light on his feet! He also looks like he’s genuinely enjoying himself which translates to the viewer.

“I feel so relaxed and chill watching him and so uplifted! I can’t wait to see what him and Lauren do next. I think they will be fan favourites.”

Graeme has previously coughed up to the dance experience, saying: “I have danced it before, but I’ve had a real mental block over one particular step and my leg just keeps doing something in the opposite direction to the way it’s meant to go.

“I’m convinced it’s a bit of muscle memory from 10 years ago. So it’s as much a hindrance as a help.”

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