Lots of news this week. When the Claudia & Tess story broke, someone said to me ‘have you seen the Strictly news?’ and my immediate reaction was ‘WHAT NOW?’ This show can’t catch a break. And the presenting duo leaving overshadowed the sad news that Stefan had to withdraw from the show due to injury, a shame after he had just come back from sickness. But he achieved what he set out to do, be able to dance with his wife, so that’s a win.

To the show itself, and it was icons week. The judges did a great job with their outfits - Motsi as Grace Jones looked incredible, and I couldn’t stop laughing at Shirley being Elvis. And then on to the couples, who each had their own icons to bring to the dancefloor.

Lewis & Katya - Quickstep (Johnny Cash)

I wasn’t a huge fan of the Johnny Cash impression right at the start of the routine - you’ve got to go some to imitate the Man in Black. I thought the performance was a bit prancey, but the choreography was really complex and he kept up with it all, didn’t miss a step.

Karen & Carlos - Rumba (Celine Dion)

Karen presented a good character, she had great legs, there was a lot to like in there. A few wobbles and some missteps here and there, but it seemed like she was enjoying it up to that point. It’s a shame she was gutted with herself afterwards, as I thought it was great.

Ellie & Vito - Salsa (Spice Girls)

Ellie was in her element doing the modelling shots for the background. It was an incredible medley of Spice Girls songs to go with a great dance - sure it was lacking in hips and finesses, but there was bags of energy, Ellie’s endless sass, and the lifts were fab! Also a message from actual Baby Spice!

Alex & Johannes - Foxtrot (Dolly Parton)

I need that pink What Would Dolly Do hat in my life. Lovely dance, as clean as a whistle. I really liked it when there was so much tenderness around the flowers at the beginning and then Johannes just flung them away. Not a flashy Foxtrot but sweet and lovely.

George & Alexis - Jive (Harry Styles)

I couldn’t see how a Harry Styles song would work for the jive, and I’m not sure it was super inspiring music for this kind of dance. But George did a great job, playful and fun, lots of good kicks. I think he got a bit tired towards the end. The judges were talking about mistakes, but I didn’t really see any.

Vicky & Kai - Couple’s Choice (Cheryl)

A great VT with a bit of emotion. I’m not so sure about this dance - it was performed brilliant, and they were so in sync with each other. But it got a bit dull for me, the choreography kept repeating each other, making the same shapes over and over. You could see how much Vicky loved it though.

Balvinder & Julian - Quickstep (Beyoncé)

This isn’t my favourite Beyoncé era, but there we go. It was nice to see Honey in the training video, dishing out a bit of advice. Bits of the dance were great, but other bits didn’t seem very smooth, overall it didn’t quite work for me but I think Balvinder did a great job with a fast dance.

Harry & Karen - Argentine Tango (Usher)

Karen’s first Argentine Tango apparently. It was really good, although I can see why mixing in the Usher groove would be a hit with some people and not with others. I liked it. Great kicks and flips, smoother lifts, and lots of intensity.

Amber & Nikita - Cha Cha (Ariana Grande)

Good tricks and stuff in the dance, but the fundamentals didn’t feel all that good to me. No straight legs as far as I could see, and not a lot of sass or character.

Jimmy & Lauren - American Smooth (Prince)

Not bad at all, the top half seemed better than the bottom. Great lifts, but some slightly jerky moments and the end almost went very wrong with a lack of balance.

La Voix & Aljaž - Salsa (Cher)

There was a bit of time wasted at the beginning with the singing, so the dance felt quite short, but it’s all part of the show. I’m thankful it went well, compared to last week. A great song to end on, fun, camp, just energetic joy. The technique suffered a bit, but fun levels were way up.

This was a fun show, with plenty of highs and lows to discuss. Lewis, Vicky and Amber were at the top of the leaderboard, with George at the bottom, and then four couples all on the same score - a very close show!

I was convinced it was going to be Balvinder and George, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Balvinder got a break from the red light of doom this week, and instead it was Jimmi and Amber! Very surprised by Amber being up there but of course the judges kept her in. A shame to say goodbye to Jimmy, who was doing a great job representing footballers who can actually dance.

Next week, Halloween!!