Surprise royal fans on the Strictly front row – and Rod drops in, too
ITS twists, turns, charlestons and quicksteps have left millions of viewers marvelling at the hit show.
And now it appears that Strictly Come Dancing has gained the royal seal of approval too.
The Countess of Wessex, 53, and her daughter Lady Louise Windsor, 15, were spotted cheering on the remaining couples during Saturday’s live show.
Viewers were surprised when the camera panned to the prestigious guests in the audience during the opening minutes of the programme, before hosts Tess Daly, 49, and Claudia Winkleman, 46, welcomed the seven couples on to the dancefloor.
A royal source said Sophie and Louise were ‘big fans’ of the programme.
And the pair weren’t the only famous faces in the studio as Sir Rod Stewart took to the stage in last night’s results show.
Never one to shy away from making a fashion statement, the music legend donned a military-style jacket and skin-tight black jeans as he performed his song Farewell.
In an image posted on Dame Darcey Bussell’s Instagram account, he was pictured cosying up to the Strictly judge, which she captioned: ‘The legend that is Sir Rod Stewart tonight on BBC Strictly. He still wears it well!’ After a tense show of challenging group dances and shambolic technical issues, cricketer Graeme Swann, 39, was eliminated last night.
Swann and dance partner Oti Mabuse, 28, who dressed as sailors, survived by the skin of their teeth last week after being in the bottom two for the second week in a row.
But they were no match for Ashley Roberts, 37, and her partner Pasha Kovalev, 38, this week. The judging panel voted unanimously to save Miss Roberts after her samba, meaning that Swann was the ninth contestant to be sent home. Swann told Miss Daly: ‘I’d have voted for Ashley and Pasha as well. This show is something special and thank you for letting me be a part of it.’ During Saturday night’s show, the remaining couples performed the Lindy-Hop-A-Thon, where all seven danced at the same time in a bid to earn extra points.
But after a rather chaotic routine, things only got worse as head judge Shirley Ballas, 58, found herself unable to read out the scores as her iPad malfunctioned.
Viewers saw producers frantically handing pieces of paper to the judges following the group dance after their screens failed to show their scores. Miss Ballas then managed to mix up the names of professional dancers Karen Clifton, 36, and Dianne Buswell, 29. But despite a hectic show, Faye Tozer, 43, impressed with her waltz – earning her a nearly perfect 39 points.