Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu leave Strictly after split judges’ vote

Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu have been eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing after a split judges’ decision in Sunday’s results show. The actress and her professional partner left the competition on 8 November, with head judge Shirley Ballas using her deciding vote to save Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby.

The result ended their run in week seven, despite a foxtrot that had earned 30 points in Saturday’s live programme. The pair now have a final television appearance lined up to discuss their experience, with Strictly: It Takes Two due to welcome them on Monday evening.

How Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu’s dance-off unfolded

Antonia and Xu performed their foxtrot to Leona Lewis’s Bleeding Love again in the dance-off. Mercer and Ingoldsby returned to their waltz to That Ain’t You by Mulaa Joans, having scored 26 for the routine the previous night.

Press Association’s report, carried by The Standard, confirms that Anton Du Beke voted to save Mercer and Ingoldsby. Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse both chose Antonia and Xu, leaving the decision with Ballas. She backed Mercer and Ingoldsby, sending Antonia and Xu home.

That produced a two-to-two split across the panel. Ballas’s deciding vote settled the outcome, so the departure was not the result of a unanimous verdict from the judges.

The scores from Saturday underline the difference between the couples’ positions before the public vote was added. Antonia and Xu had finished joint fourth with 30, while Mercer and Ingoldsby’s 26 placed them joint bottom. Those standings did not prevent both couples having to dance again for their place in the competition.

A return to television on Monday

Radio Times reports that Antonia and Xu will join Ellie Taylor on Strictly: It Takes Two at 6.30pm on Monday 9 November, on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer. The appearance will give viewers a chance to hear them discuss their partnership after the results programme.

Entertainment Focus also points viewers towards Strictly: Lights Up, hosted by Abi Clarke and Tyler West. The spin-off provides immediate reaction from the dancefloor on BBC iPlayer after the results show, offering another perspective on the weekend’s performances.

Antonia’s departure comes at the competition’s halfway stage. Nine couples remain, according to Radio Times, with the next live programme due on Saturday 14 November. For those following the series through catch-up, the episodes broadcast so far remain available on BBC iPlayer.

From television drama to the ballroom

The BBC announced Antonia’s place in the celebrity cast in July. The announcement shared by her agency traced her acting career back to a short-film adaptation of The Tempest at the age of 14, followed by a guest appearance in Doctors.

Her breakthrough television role was Margot Rivers in Get Even in 2020. The profile also listed Nolly, Stay Close, Stath Lets Flats and Doctor Who among her credits, alongside her portrayal of Lady Baela Targaryen in House of the Dragon.

That background brought an experienced screen performer to a competition centred on learning new dance styles. Her partnership with Xu carried her through to November, with the foxtrot becoming the final routine they performed competitively.

A results show marking Remembrance Sunday

Sunday’s programme also included a professional group dance for Remembrance Sunday. Choreographed by Lizzie Gough, it used Peter Gabriel’s arrangement of Heroes and drew inspiration from the Monument to the Women of World War II.

The performance began with British soldiers leaving for war and focused on women’s experiences during the conflict. Gregory Porter also appeared, with Alexis Warr and Aljaž Škorjanec dancing alongside his musical performance.

Saturday’s competitive programme had been led by Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin, who scored 36 for their American smooth to Harry Connick Jr’s It Had to Be You. With Antonia and Xu’s exit confirmed, the remaining couples now move into another week of rehearsals ahead of the next live show.