Strictly Come Dancing has bid a fond farewell to Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, the fourth contestant to leave the competition after a shock dance-off saw him face Amber Davies in the bottom two. The surprising result from Icons Week has left many BBC viewers reeling, as both Jimmy and Amber had finished in the top half of the leaderboard. The judges' scores placed Jimmy mid-table with 30 points, while Amber ranked third with 33. In the dance-off, Jimmy reprised his American Smooth to 'Purple Rain' by Prince with his professional partner Lauren Oakley, while Amber and her partner Nikita Kuzmin performed their Cha Cha Cha to 'Break Free' by Ariana Grande.
Saturday night's episode was an emotional one, as it came after the news that presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who have been presenting the show together for 11 years, will be hanging up their Strictly hats and leaving the show at the end of this series. In the bittersweet announcement, Tess said: "After 21 wonderful years on Strictly, we have decided that the time is right to step aside and pass over the baton," while Claudia added: "Strictly is a magical, glittery, fake tanned train and it's been a privilege to be a tiny part of it."
© BBC/Guy LevyThe judges dressed up as various icons this week
The judges' verdicts
After both couples took to the ballroom to perform their dances again, the judges were unanimous in their decision: Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Shirley Ballas all chose to save Amber and Nikita. Anton Du Beke, who had the casting vote this week, said he would have also chosen Amber and Nikita. This means Amber and Nikita will return next week to perform in Strictly's annual Halloween special.
© BBC/Guy LevyJimmy thanked his daughters
Reflecting on his time on the show, Jimmy told presenter Tess Daly: "I have absolutely loved my experience. I can only say thank you very much for letting me have this experience and to my daughters for pushing me to come here and do this. I never expected that I would enjoy it this much.
"The people behind the scenes, from the wardrobe people to the hairdressers to the make-up people, are absolutely magnificent – thank you very much. This experience is going to live with me forever. Most importantly, [to Lauren] this girl, she is just absolutely incredible. She has been absolutely amazing with me. [To Lauren] You are a diamond."
© BBC/Guy LevyJimmy faced Amber in the dance-off in a shock result
"Anyone can be a dancer if you put your mind to it"
When asked how much she enjoyed teaching Jimmy, Lauren said: "Oh, I enjoyed it so much and I am absolutely gutted that it's come to an end. We've had so many laughs. We have had the best time and I am so proud of how far he has come.
"And it proves that anyone can be a dancer if you put your mind to it. He's a footballer! And he just danced like that. We've had the best time and I'm just so proud and I feel honoured to have been able to teach you. You've been an amazing student'"
© BBC/Guy LevyThe result was bittersweet for Jimmy, who had achieved his highest score (30) of the competition so far. He added: "The only thing you can do is dance as best as you can and then it's up to the public. I was actually quite happy to dance again because I wanted to do better than my previous one. So listen, I have had a blast. From the people up there [pointing to the other couples], to the judges – thank you very much for your comments."
© BBC/Guy LevyRachel Zegler sang 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina', accompanied by Nikita Kuzmin and Luba Mushtuk
Who performed in Strictly's results show?
Sunday marked a very special performance by West End star and actress Rachel Zegler, who sang 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina' while the fantastic professional dancers Nikita Kuzmin and Luba Mushtuk accompanied the song with a routine. The cohort of professional dancers also treated the audience to a Britney Spears performance, paying tribute to the pop icon's many eras.
The remaining 10 couples will take to the dancefloor for a spooktacular Halloween special, when Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday 1 November at 6.35pm, with the results show on Sunday 2 November at 7.15pm.
