I will never stop dancing says Davood as he leaves Strictly
EASTENDERS star Davood Ghadami last night said he would never stop dancing after he became the 10th celebrity to waltz off the Strictly Come Dancing stage.
The actor, 35, and partner Nadiya Bychkova performed a passionate tango during the musicals-themed quarterfinals that landed them in a dance-off with Alexandra Burke.
But all four judges opted to save singer Alexandra after she performed a near-perfect Charleston.
Davood said: “It’s such a shame. We got so much further than I thought so it’s definitely mixed feelings here.
“I am actually quite proud of what we achieved, Nadiya and I, and I think maybe it’s the right time to go but it is that feeling of ‘oh we were so close to the end’. I’m going to spend the next couple of weeks at home dancing with my two beautiful girls who are now huge fans of the show.
“I’m not going to stop, I meant it when I said that. I will be dancing with my girls at home and not feeling embarrassed about it.”
Strictly’s quarter-final attracted more than twice as many viewers as the first part of the X Factor final.
The show on Saturday night drew an average audience of 9.7 million.
ITV’s first night of the X Factor final was watched by an average of 4.4 million viewers.
STRICTLY Come Dancing host Claudia Winkleman presented last night’s show while waiting for updates on her sister who was seriously injured in a head-on car crash.
Sophie Winkleman, 37, wife of Lord Freddie Windsor, is in hospital with what is said to be a broken back and other injuries after the collision 12 days ago.
The actress was being driven home from a day’s filming when the accident happened. She was in the back seat and wearing a seat belt at the time
It is thought the collision occurred when one of the drivers swerved to avoid a deer on the road near Saffron Walden in Essex.
Sophie is the half sister of Claudia, 45, by their father Barry Winkleman, 78. Her mother is children’s author Cindy Black, while Claudia’s is former newspaper editor Eve Pollard, 71.
She appeared as Ashton Kutcher’s girlfriend in the US sitcom Two And A Half Men, and as “Big Suze” in the hit Channel 4 comedy Peep Show.
Like her half sister, Sophie went to Cambridge University where she studied English and was active in the university’s theatre group.
The mother-of-two, whose fatherin-law is the Queen’s cousin Prince Michael of Kent, was rushed to Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge.
Five ambulance crews were dispatched to the scene with emergency services originally thinking Ms Winkleman was gravely injured due to the extent of the damage to the car.
She was later transferred to London’s Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
A family friend yesterday said: “It was a terrible shock for the whole family. Freddie’s looking after their two girls while Sophie recovers. It will be a long road for her but we’re all so thankful she’s been told there won’t be any long-term problems.”
Sophie married Lord Freddie at Hampton Court Palace in September 2009. She
Claudia Winkleman, right, is Sophie’s sister
is entitled use the name Lady Frederick Windsor but uses her maiden name in her professional career. The couple have two daughters, Maud, four, who is at the same school as Prince George, Thomas’s Battersea in west London, and Isabella, who was born last year. Sophie had been filming Trust, a new US television series at the stately home Audley End. Trust is directed by Danny Boyle, who won an Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire in 2008 and also directed acclaimed films such as Trainspotting and 28 Days Later. Trust tells the story of the 1973 kidnapping of the grandson of billionaire oil tycoon J Paul Getty, played by Donald Sutherland. It also stars Oscar-winner Hilary Swank. It is currently unclear whether Sophie’s injuries will lead to a delay in the production of the show which is a major project for the FX channel. Neither her agent nor FX were available for comment.