The Emmerdale actor’s hopes of winning have been given a huge dent ahead of this weekend’s spook-tacular

Strictly Come Dancing contender Lewis Cope has been dealt some rather unfortunate news ahead of his and Katya Jones’s Halloween Week routine.

The Emmerdale star, who has avoided the dance-off all series, will be taking on a Couple’s Choice to the sound of Radiohead’s Creep on Saturday night as he aims to top the leaderboard once again.

In Week Five, Mr Cope and Ms Jones finished in first place with a score of 34, and topped the leaderboard in Week Three as well.

Week Four was still an impressive outing for the duo as they landed in second, the same spot Ms Jones and Mr Cope occupied in Weeks One and Two.

Having dominated the upper echelons of the Strictly leaderboard week after week, Mr Cope has emerged as many fans’ frontrunner to lift the Glitterball Trophy.

And ever since he was unveiled as Kristian Nairn’s replacement ahead of Week One, bookmakers tended to agree, regularly pricing him as the favourite to win the entire series.

However, since taking to the ballroom with Ms Jones, the actor has faced criticism over his previous experience in the world of dance.

Now, ahead of Week Six, it appears Mr Cope’s popularity has begun to wane, with some bookmakers delivering the crushing blow that he’s no longer the frontrunner for the trophy.

Lewis Cope and Katya Jones may not lift the Glitterball after all

One bookmaker to remove Mr Cope as the outright favourite for glory is Grosvenor Sport, with spokesperson Simon Kew telling GB News there’s a new name to watch.

“George Clarke has danced his way to clear favouritism, moving from 5/1 at the start of the series to 10/11 as his performances continue to impress both judges and fans,” he explained.

“Despite slipping to the bottom of the leaderboard last week, the YouTuber remains the one to beat and will be determined to bounce back this weekend.”

With Mr Clarke now the frontrunner, Mr Cope’s chances of winning have been dented rather drastically. “His rise has left early frontrunner Lewis Cope (now 4/1 from 9/4) with work to do to close the gap,” the betting expert explained.

However, it’s far from a two-horse race between Mr Clarke and Mr Cope, with Alex Kingston skyrocketing up the market following a series of impressive performances with Johannes Radebe.

She’s currently 5/1 to end up this year’s winning celebrity, despite being priced far from the front of the pack at the start of the serie,s where she was given 14/1 odds.

Mr Cope isn’t the only star to have seen their chance of victory being crushed, either, with Amber Davies now priced as a 33/1 rank outsider for the Glitterball, despite being as short as 13/2 previously.

“Ellie Goldstein’s chances have drifted to 16/1 from 6/1 after a quieter few weeks, and Karen Carney, now 25/1 from 10/1, will need a standout performance to reignite her early momentum,” Mr Kew added.

Lewis Cope and Katya Jones have topped the leaderboard throughout

| BBC

Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and La Voix are both currently 50/1 to win the series, while Balvinder Sopal’s price has lengthened from 10/1 at the start of the series to a long shot 250/1.

While Mr Cope’s hopes of winning the series altogether have been dealt a blow, his chances of making it through Halloween Week are a lot more favourable.

It would take an almighty turn up for the books if Mr Cope and Ms Jones were booted off this week, with Ms Sopal and drag artist La Voix looking the most likely to face the chop.

EastEnders star Ms Sopal is currently odds-on to be sent home having already narrowly escape two dance-offs already this series against Chris Robshaw and Ross King.