Lewis Cope’s Strictly Journey Ends in Shock Quarter-Final Elimination

Bookies’ Favourite Eliminated in Surprise Result

Bookmakers’ favourite Lewis Cope has been eliminated from the BBC show following a dance off against Amber Davies in what has been described as one of the most shocking results of the 2025 series. The Emmerdale star was the bookmakers’ favourite to win the 2025 glitterball but landed in the bottom two following the public vote, along with Love Island star Amber Davies, who was given a perfect score of 40 by the judges.

Quarter-Final Performance Falls Short

During Musicals Week on Saturday evening, Cope’s Salsa to Dance at the Gym from West Side Story with Katya Jones was criticised by the judges for being too much physical ‘musical theatre stuff’ and not demonstrating strong Salsa technique. He achieved a score of 35 out of 40. In the Sunday results show dance-off, the panel delivered a unanimous verdict with Head Judge Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, and Craig Revel Horwood all voting to save Amber and Nikita.

A Career Built on Dance

Lewis Cope (born 19 March 1995) is an English actor who began his career as a child actor appearing in a West End production of Billy Elliot the Musical. In 2022, he was cast as Nicky Miligan in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale, before joining Strictly Come Dancing in August 2025 as a replacement for Kristian Nairn, who withdrew from the competition due to health issues.

Inspiring the Next Generation

Reflecting on his elimination, Cope remained gracious and positive. He said he hoped his appearance had made dance more accessible to young boys, revealing they have been sharing videos of their dancing with him, stating ‘If you can change one person’s life like that, then that’s enough’. Lewis Cope was the highest scoring male celebrity ever to take part in Strictly, leaving a lasting impression on the show’s history. The semi-finals continue next week with the remaining four couples.