Lawrence Robb exits Strictly after judges vote to remove him in rare triple dance-off
A format change forced three couples to re-perform, and the panel unanimously selected the Emmerdale actor and his partner as the next to go.
By Katherine Brooks ·
Lawrence Robb and his dance partner Jowita Przystał have left Strictly Come Dancing.
The pair became the fifth couple to be eliminated from the 2026 series following a results show on Saturday. They were removed after a unanimous vote from the judging panel. This outcome followed a three-way dance-off that involved three separate couples. The format change marked a departure from the show's standard elimination procedures.
For the first time in the competition's history, the results show introduced a scenario where three couples had to perform again. This forced Lawrence, 34, and Jowita, 32, to compete against Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu, as well as Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu. The judges were required to vote for which pair they wanted to eliminate, rather than selecting the couple they wished to save. Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, and Anton Du Beke all cast their votes against Lawrence and Jowita. Motsi Mabuse stated that she would have also voted for their elimination if her vote had been needed to break a tie.
The trio re-performed their Halloween-themed routines. Bethany and Nancy danced a Jive to Fifth Harmony's "I'm In Love With a Monster." Jaime and Carlos performed a Salsa to Scissor Sisters' "Filthy/Gorgeous." Lawrence and Jowita performed a Tango to Ray Parker Jr.'s "Ghostbusters." The panel scored the original routines earlier in the evening. Lawrence and Jowita received 26 points out of a possible 40. They were the lowest-scoring pair among the three, placing just above Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley, as well as Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita. Jaime and Carlos scored 27 points for their routine. Bethany and Nancy received 30 points.
Viewers expressed strong reactions to the new format. Many described the triple dance-off as unfair because it forced a couple who might not otherwise have been at risk to perform again. The change resulted in only one couple leaving, which some critics called a pointless charade. Social media users argued that Lawrence was improving each week, while Jaime Winstone, who has faced multiple dance-offs, had reached a plateau. One user called the decision a ridiculous choice given that it was Lawrence's first dance-off.
Craig Revel Horwood, the show's resident critic, welcomed the twist when it was first announced. He joked that his time had finally arrived. The three-way dance-off is scheduled to be a one-time occurrence. The competition will return to its standard format next weekend.
The Halloween episode featured additional musical performances. The professional dancers performed a group routine to Tame Impala's "Dracula." Sir Ian McKellen, 80, provided a vocal cameo by recording an extract from Bram Stoker's novel for the climax of the dance. The routine was led by Alexis Warr and Nikita Kuzmin. The episode also included a performance by new professional dancers Aleksandra Isaeva and Cristian Priori, set to music by Becky Hill.
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays and Sundays on BBC One and is available on BBC iPlayer.
Source: Metro
