JLS star JB Gill has secured a near-perfect score on Strictly Come Dancing after delivering a series of dramatic lifts with his professional partner Lauren Oakley.
The singer was awarded 39 points out of 40 for his lively Charleston to Yes Sir! That’s My Baby by Firehouse Five Plus Two on Saturday night.
Dressed in white trousers, a striped shirt and braces, the pop star flipped Oakley upside down and in a cartwheel spin as well as showing off his quick footwork during his week 10 routine.
Head judge Shirley Ballas also thanked Gill for bringing “so much joy” to the dancefloor as she described his performance as “amazing”.
Gill has been dancing with professional dancer Lauren Oakley since week seven following the exit of his previous partner, Amy Dowden, who was forced to pull out because of injury.
Welsh dancer Dowden, who was not able to compete in the show last series due to undergoing cancer treatment, could be seen cheering the pair on from the audience.
The actress, who jointly topped the leaderboard last week in Blackpool, was twirled and dipped by reigning champion Vito Coppola to secure a score of 36, the highest for a rumba in the series.
Ballas hailed it as the best rumba of the season so far, describing it as a routine that deserved to be in a “major championship”.
Anton Du Beke agreed, saying it was one of her best performances, but Revel Horwood thought it “lacked chemistry” amid the technique.
Reality star and podcast host Pete Wicks kicked off week 10 with an elegant tango which landed him a score of 29.
Dressed in an all-black suit, Wicks guided and dipped his professional partner Jowita Przystal across the dancefloor to Easy Lover by Philip Bailey and Phil Collins.
Ballas hailed him as “quite an extraordinary performer” and that this week she loved that he was “focused on the job at hand”.
Meanwhile, Mabuse said the routine “really suits” Wicks and complimented his top line.
This week will see the return of the danceathon when all the couples will take on the samba after their individual dances.
