BBC Strictly Come Dancing star's exit 'sealed' as another's popularity 'dwindles'

A Strictly Come Dancing star's exit is said to be 'sealed' ahead of the next live show while one of their co-star's popularity is 'dwindling'. The competition is really heating up with the 2024 run already surpassing the halfway mark.

The couples have faced two themed weeks in a row - the annual Halloween special and the brand new 'Icons Week' - but this weekend, the nine remaining celebrities and their professional dance partners won't have a grand character to hide behind.

Week eight of Strictly's 20th anniversary series will see Wynne Evans and Katya Jones will dance to MIKA’s Grace Kelly whilst Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola will perform to Proud by Heather Small, a nod to her character from the popular BBC sitcom, Miranda.

READ MORE: BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Johannes Radebe breaks silence on exit claims as fans respond

Meanwhile, Jamie Borthwick & Michelle Tsiakkas will perform the Argentine Tango to ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ by Arctic Monkeys, Shayne Ward & Nancy Xu will dance the Rumba to Cyndi Lauper’s Time After Time and Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec will perform a Quickstep to Fantasy by Mariah Carey.

JB Gill will be back alongside Lauren Oakley following Amy Dowden's sad exit from the competition and they'll be performing a Samba to Mas Que Nada by Sergio Mendes while Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystal will aim to bounce back with a couple's choice routine to The Best by Nicotine Dolls.

Another couple's choice will be performed by Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell to John Lennon’s Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) while Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe, who survived Sunday’s (November 3) dance-off, will return with a Paso Doble to The Shapeshifter's Lola’s Theme.

And currently, it appears viewers of the show are confident that Shayne ward will be next to get the boot as he's currently priced at 6/4 to leave on Sunday night (November 10) with the bookies. However, it’s looking like it’s going to be a close call as to who could join Shayne in the dance-off. Wynne Evans is the next favourite at 7/4 odds to leave, but closely following behind is JB at 7/2 and Pete at 7/1.

Analysing the latest odds, Betfred’s Kayley Cornelius said: "Punters are confident that this weekend could mark the end of Shayne Ward’s ballroom journey. Although a stronger performance last weekend kept him out of the dance-off, his odds of 6/4 to be eliminated suggest he’s likely to find himself back there. Unfortunately for Shayne, he may have lost favour with Strictly fans, as his passionate drive to win has been mistaken for arrogance, and he hasn’t managed to win viewers back. Without the support of the fans at home, this weekend could be Shayne’s final blow.

"It’s shaping up to be a close call as to who could join Shayne in the dance-off. Leading the pack is Wynne Evans, with 7/4 odds of elimination. Like Shayne, Wynne’s popularity and scores have dwindled in recent weeks, and he’s now finding it hard to keep pace with the rest of the competition, which could very well land him in familiar territory. Just behind Wynne is JB Gill at 7/2 odds. JB has faced a series of setbacks this season, but he’s taken them in stride. Scoring nearly perfect last weekend, he and his new partner Lauren Oakley will need to maintain that high standard on the dancefloor to avoid being axed.

She added: "Another star who could be in hot water is Pete Wicks, priced at 7/1 to go on Sunday night. If it were down to talent alone, Pete Wicks would have been out of the competition weeks ago, and he has his strong fanbase to thank for keeping him in the running. However, with the competition really heating up, the loyalty of his fanbase will be put to the test once again this weekend!"