Strictly Blackpool 2025: Lewis Cope Tops Leaderboard with Perfect Score

Strictly's Blackpool Spectacular Delivers Dancing Excellence

The iconic Blackpool Tower Ballroom played host to an unforgettable night of glitz and glamour for Strictly Come Dancing's 2025 special. The evening was a showcase of the highest calibre, producing some of the most impressive scores of the entire series so far.

Perfect Scores and Near-Misses Dominate the Night

Stealing the show from the very beginning were Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope and his professional partner Katya Jones. They opened the competition with an electrifying Charleston set to the Arctic Monkeys' "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor". Their performance was so flawless that it earned them the ultimate accolade: a perfect score of 40. This marked their second full marks achievement this season, firmly placing them at the top of the weekly leaderboard.

Their position, however, was fiercely challenged by two other couples who came agonisingly close to perfection. Former England footballer Karen and Carlos Gu delivered a powerful and dramatic Paso Doble to the operatic piece "O Fortuna", captivating the audience and judges alike to secure a superb score of 39.

Similarly, YouTuber George Clarke and Alexis Warr closed the show with a vibrant Salsa to "Rock this Party (Everybody Dance Now)" by Bob Sinclar, also receiving a score of 39. In both cases, the famously critical judge Craig Revel Horwood awarded a nine, while his fellow judges Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke, and Shirley Ballas all gave a 10.

Unexpected Twist as Contestant Withdraws

In a surprising turn of events, the scheduled elimination for Saturday 22 November 2025 was cancelled. This followed the withdrawal of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star La Voix (real name Christopher Dennis). The 45-year-old contestant had initially been granted a bye into this round after sustaining an injury, but was forced to pull out completely following further medical advice.

At the start of the episode, presenter Tess Daly addressed the audience, stating, "Now, as you may have heard, La Voix sustained an injury, meaning that she can’t dance in Blackpool tonight, and following further advice from our medical team, we can now confirm she has very sadly had to withdraw from the competition."

Fellow presenter Claudia Winkleman added, "We will be speaking to La Voix on tomorrow night’s show, we love you so, so much." Consequently, no dance-off took place, and all votes and scores will be carried over to next week's competition.