Chris Appleton crashes out of Strictly first

DAILYMAIL.COM • 4h ago

By JENNIFER RUBY 19:58 04 Oct 2026, updated 23:23 04 Oct 2026

As one of Kim Kardashian’s closest friends, he was no doubt hoping to rival her reality show record.

But Chris Appleton was unable to snip his way to success on Strictly Come Dancing as he became the first contestant to be eliminated on Sunday night.

The hair stylist, 43, who hails from Leicester but is now one of the most in-demand hairdressers in Hollywood, had to compete in the dance-off with actress Jaime Winstone, 41, after it was revealed they both got the lowest number of public votes.

And it was Appleton’s cha cha that impressed the judges the least as they unanimously voted him off, leaving a relieved Ms Winstone – the daughter of hardman actor Ray – through to next week.

In comparison, Kardashian was the third contestant to be eliminated from the US version of the show, Dancing With The Stars, when she competed in 2008 with pro partner Mark Ballas.

Motsi Mabuse, 45, Shirley Ballas, 66, and Anton Du Beke, 60 all chose to save Ms Winstone and her partner Carlos Gu after they danced their cha cha to Pretty Woman from the film of the same name during Movies Week.

It meant that Craig Revel-Horwood, 61, who would have had the deciding vote, was not required to do so, although he later said he would have also saved Ms Winstone.

Appleton’s dance to I’ll be Ready from Baywatch only earned him a disappointing 17 points, just one more than he was given during the first live show the week before.

Despite a fun routine which culminated in Appleton ripping open his red vest to reveal his washboard stomach and six-pack, the judges were critical of his technical ability.

‘I felt it was a little bit disconnected and I felt there were some awkward moments in there for you,’ said Revel-Horwood after his performance on Saturday night.

‘Your top of your body has to marry what’s happening with your hips and your straight legs.’

Ms Mabuse, however, said she could ‘see improvement’, while Du Beke said the performance was ‘another level’ even though the dancing wasn’t quite there.

Appleton has been vocal about his nerves at appearing on the show and said he’d been struggling on Saturday night.

‘I’m having a blast, I am really struggling with my nerves, I’m not going to lie, I’ve never done it. But I am finding a new part of myself and dancing, I’m just having so much fun,’ he said.

A Strictly spokesperson said: ‘Strictly’s Movie Week was the most watched programme of the night, with a peak of 5.6 million viewers. As ever, overnight ratings do not give the full picture of all those who watch in an on-demand world.’

While Appleton will likely be disappointed at being the first to go, it’s his dance partner – beloved Strictly professional Amy Dowden – who continues to have a run of bad luck.

The dancer, 36, who discovered she had breast cancer back in 2023, didn’t participate in that year’s show and made a triumphant return the following year, only to withdraw due to injury.

Last year she and partner Thomas Skinner were eliminated in the second week, with many Strictly fans hoping that this year would finally mark her comeback.

Unfortunately Appleton and Ms Dowden had been languishing near the bottom of the leaderboard and didn’t get enough public votes to see them through to next week.

One of the more popular of the troupe of professionals on the BBC show, viewers were devastated to hear that Ms Dowden had been diagnosed with breast cancer at 32.

Having found a lump one day before her honeymoon following her marriage to fellow dancer Ben Jones, she stepped down from the show while she underwent treatment.

Ms Dowden, who has also been living with bowel condition Crohn’s disease since her teenage years, returned in 2024, but was forced to withdraw due to a severe foot and shin injury.

There’ll be immediate reaction from the Strictly dance floor in the first episode of Strictly: Lights Up, hosted by Abi Clarke and Tyler West, available on BBC iPlayer from the moment the results show credits roll.

Appleton and Ms Dowden will then join Ellie Taylor on Strictly – It Takes Two on Monday at 6.30pm on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.

The remaining 14 couples will take to the dancefloor next week, when Strictly Come Dancing returns at 6.15pm on Saturday, October 10.

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