Show insider explains why ‘unbelievable’ Lewis Cope was sensationally voted off Strictly Come Dancing

‘The entertainment they gave us and those fantastic performances were unforgettable’

Strictly Come Dancing fans were dealt a shock on Sunday night (December 7) as Lewis Cope and Katya Jones were sent crashing out of the BBC dance show.

Lewis and Katya found themselves in the bottom two alongside West End star Amber Davies, with all four judges ultimately voting to save Amber.

Now, after Lewis – arguably this year’s best dancer – was sent packing, one Strictly insider has had his say on why “unbelievable” dancer Lewis was even in the bottom two in the first place…
‘People love an underdog,’ one ex-pro said as to why accomplished dancers Amber and Lewis found themselves in the dance-off (Credit: BBC)

‘The public tends to go for the underdogs’

Speaking on behalf of Paddy Power Games, Vincent defended the BBC show against backlash, which started after ‘trained’ dancers Lewis and Amber joined the line-up.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with bringing amazingly talented people into the show. People sometimes find it unfair, but those types rarely win,” he said. Explaining the reasons for that, Vincent added: “The public tends to go for underdogs.”

Bemoaning the loss of Lewis from the competition, and praising Amber, Vincent then said: “The entertainment they bring is unbelievable. And, from a professional dancer’s point of view, I love watching super-talented people. It makes the show special and gets people talking.

“People vote for their favourites, of course. But what Lewis brought to the show was unbelievable.”
Vincent loved the entertainment Lewis brought to the BBC dance show (Credit: Splash News)

Why Lewis Cope was eliminated from Strictly

Speaking about last weekend’s bottom two, and the judges saying that neither couple deserved to go home, Vincent explained: “I get what the judges are saying. What they mean is that you had the two best dancers in the show ending up in the bottom two together.”

He then gave an insight into just how Lewis ended up crashing out of the competition. “I’d said before that the only way one of them could leave was if they both landed there. And that’s exactly what happened.”

Hailing both Lewis and Amber’s dancing skills, he concluded: “The entertainment they gave us and those fantastic performances were unforgettable. Amber’s Charleston was gorgeous to watch. Every time they did something notable during their performance, I’d be saying: ‘Bloody hell!’ It was just amazing.”
Vincent had predicted that the only way Lewis and Amber would leave the competition was if they were in the dance-off together – ‘and that’s exactly what happened’ (Credit: BBC)

Lewis bids farewell to Strictly 2025

Lewis got a lot out of the show, too, it seems.

Earlier today (December 8), he posted a lengthy statement about his exit to Instagram. In it, he said that the show had “changed” him forever.

Katya, meanwhile, appeared incredibly upset, crying on It Takes Two over their elimination on Monday night (December 8).

Now, the pair’s fans have revealed they’re desperate for the couple to take part in the Strictly Live Tour 2026. Show bosses are in the process of announcing the line-up, so we guess it’s a case of watch this space…