Gavin and Stacey's Melanie Walters Eliminated from Strictly — SkimNews
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- Melanie Walters, 64, and partner Aljaz Skorjanec, 36, were sent home on Sunday after finishing in the bottom two for the second consecutive week, having scored 17 for their Saturday Charleston to Gina G's "Ooh Ahh… Just A Little Bit."
- Craig Revel Horwood said he "didn't love" the routine, while Motsi Mabuse told Walters to "keep going"; in the dance-off, Mabuse alone voted to save Walters, with Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, and Revel Horwood all choosing to save Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr.
- Wright-Phillips and Warr had received a score of 15 for their quickstep to The Monkees' "I'm A Believer" and were saved by a 3-1 judges' majority.
- Walters had scored 15 for her week one cha cha cha and 15 for a Movie Week waltz to "Edelweiss" from The Sound of Music, making her the early-season low scorer across both performances.
- Walters is best known for playing Gwen West in BBC's Gavin and Stacey, a role she held from the show's 2007 launch through its 2024 Christmas special.
- The remaining 13 couples will return next week for "icons week," while Sunday's episode also featured a special group dance pairing Ballas and Du Beke with the professionals and a live performance of "Burning Temptation" by musician Jalen Ngonda.
Why it matters: Walters' exit thins the Strictly field to 13 couples heading into icons week and ends a run of early vulnerability — she was in the bottom two in both of her appearances, suggesting judges prioritized technical improvement potential over her consistent-but-modest scores when choosing whom to save.
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