Strictly Come Dancing Balvinder Sopal’s ‘mask slipped’ after sudden BBC exit The star became the tenth celebrity to exit Strictly.

Balvinder Sopal and her pro partner Julian Caillon were the latest couple to leave Strictly (Image: BBC)

Strictly Come Dancing’s Balvinder Sopal’s “mask slipped” and her “self-disgust and rejection” was evident as she became the latest celebrity to exit the BBC show. Having survived a record breaking five dance offs the EastEnders star and her pro partner Julian Caillon fell at the final hurdle and were knocked out in the semi-final. They performed their Salsa to Rhythm Is Gonna Get You/Get On Your Feet by Gloria Estefan for a second time as they faced off against West End star Amber Davies and her partner Nikita Kuizman. They performed their Couple’s Choice to RAYE’s Fly Me to the Moon. After both couples had danced again, the judges unanimously voted to save Amber and Nikita.

Body language and behavior expert expert Mark Bowden says Balvinder was relying on Julian to “freeze her anxiety” as the result was announced. “The actress’s mask slips when she gets the result,” he said. “Instead of a genuine smile, which lifts upward, her mouth pulls tight and sideways, exposing teeth. Biologically, this is a Fear Grimace—an appeasement signal to the ‘tribe’ that has just rejected her. She has a white-knuckle grip on Julian’s hands at chest height; she is physically clinging to him to freeze her anxiety,” he explained.

Balvinder Sopal and Julian Caillon were emotional as they lost the Strictly dance off (Image: BBC)

Further analysing her exit scenes on behalf of Covers.com, he continued: “She is dressed as ‘ripe fruit’—bright, colorful, energetic but her face shows sourness – the chin is dimpled, and the mouth corners drag down. This is the Adrenaline Crash. Despite Julian ‘framing’ her as a prize her internal state is one of self-disgust and rejection. She feels she hasn’t ‘produced the goods,’ and the biological disappointment is overriding her media training.”

By contrast he said Amber and Nikita were calm as they awaited the result “standing like pillars – open chests, low heart rates, reflecting light. They signal Alpha Calm.” However Balvinder was “in a self-hug” signalling defensive turtling.”The visual story is instant,” he said. “The rightful winners versus the exhausted survivors.”

With only four couples left in the show, Mark also observed the remaining stars displayed “relief” as they huddled around Balvinder and Julian at the end of the show.

“A group hug usually signals softness, but look at the mouths. Every visible face shows a high-intensity dental display. This isn’t just comfort; it is an Adrenaline Grin. The group is celebrating the survival of the pack. The baring of teeth functions like a war cry—a mix of relief for themselves and ‘solidarity’ for the loser. It is aggressive, competitive energy masked as sympathy,” he said.

Balvinder Sopal was comforted by the remaining Strictly celebrities following her show exit (Image: BBC)

Speaking to host Tess Daly following her exit Balvinder described herself as “lucky” for getting the chance to appear on the show.

“Everyone’s been brilliant. The minute you walk into this building, it’s like a massive hug. Every single time. I’ve walked in, people have just held me and gone ‘You know, you’re all right’. It’s such a wonderful place to work.”

After thanking the judges she turned her attention to the presenters. “Claud and Tess, I’m grateful that I got to be on the show on your last moment here as well, because you, for me, are what Strictly is about. You’re the era of Len Goodman and Bruce Forsyth, and that’s when I started watching it, and that, for me, is really special. This year, it’s been full of so many serendipitous moments. I’m so lucky, and I’m really, very happy,” she said.

Balvinder and Julian’s departure means the 2025 Strictly Come Dancing finalists are Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin, George Clarke and Alexis Warr, and Karen Carney and Carlos Gu.