Strictly 2026: Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu out after a split-vote dance-off

Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu were sent home from Strictly on Sunday after head judge Shirley Ballas used her casting vote, despite a joint fourth place on Saturday.

9 Nov 2026, 04:402 min read

A actress and her professional dance partner finish a foxtrot on the glittering Strictly Come Dancing ballroom floor. — Image: The Standard

Strictly Come Dancing (the BBC's hit celebrity dance contest) has said goodbye to its sixth couple. Actress Bethany Antonia and her professional partner Nancy Xu are out, even though they were joint fourth on the leaderboard after Saturday's live show.

What happened?

On Sunday's results show, Bethany and Nancy faced a dance-off against former Love Island contestant Cach Mercer and his partner Maddie Ingoldsby. Bethany is best known for playing Lady Baela Targaryen in House of the Dragon, the Game of Thrones spin-off.

The pair reprised their foxtrot to Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis, which had scored 30 on Saturday. Cach and Maddie danced their waltz to That Ain't You by Mulaa Joans. They had scored 26, which left them joint bottom on the judges' scores.

How did the judges vote?

It was a split decision. Anton Du Beke chose to save Cach and Maddie, while Motsi Mabuse and Craig Revel Horwood voted to save Bethany and Nancy.

That left head judge Shirley Ballas with the deciding vote. She went with Cach and Maddie, and that sealed Bethany and Nancy's fate.

On Saturday, Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin topped the leaderboard. They scored 36 for their American smooth to It Had to Be You by Harry Connick Jr. and picked up their first 10.

A Remembrance Sunday tribute

The results show also marked Remembrance Sunday, when Britain honours those who died in war. The Strictly professionals performed a group dance to Peter Gabriel's arrangement of David Bowie's Heroes.

Lizzie Gough choreographed it. It opened with British soldiers leaving for war and was inspired by The Monument to the Women of World War II, focusing on women's lives during the conflict. Gregory Porter also performed, with a routine from Alexis Warr and Aljaz Skorjanec.

What's next?

Strictly returns on Saturday 14 November at 6.25pm. The results show airs on Sunday 15 November at 7.15pm. Actress Jaime Winstone, who missed Saturday's live show through injury, is hoped to return next week.

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