It was an emotional night at this year’s Strictly Come Dancing semi-finals, as the remaining four couples battled it out for a spot in the last stage of the competition.
On Saturday night, Kelvin Fletcher, Emma Barton, Karim Zeroual and Chris Ramsey were all tasked with performing two brand new routines, and there were tears all round during the live show on BBC One.
Kelvin Fletcher was the first star on the night to have an emotional moment, getting choked up when he and Oti Mabuse landed their first perfect score of the series for their Quickstep routine.
As the rest of the celebrities and professionals celebrated the second “40” of the series, presenter Claudia Winkleman then spotted that Kelvin was “looking emotional”, to which he responded: “Wow… yeah.”
Claudia then joked she would “change the subject”, but Kelvin was far from the only Strictly star to get overcome during the episode.
Professional dancer Anton Du Beke also found himself tearing up, after he and Emma won praise for their two routines in the semi-finals.
Anton – who has only made it to the final once in the last 16 series of Strictly – showered his partner with praise, only to find himself also getting a little choked up.
When asked by Claudia why viewers should vote the EastEnders actress through to the next round, Anton said: “I’ll tell you why – if people have loved watching Emma dance as much as I’ve loved dancing with Emma, then I really hope that they vote for her.
“This is somebody who had no confidence in her dancing ability, didn’t think she could dance a step, to make it into the semi-finals as well.
“And to produce a dance – I’m getting emotional – to produce a dance like that that I’ve been wanting to do for about 15 years on Strictly Come Dancing , is the most beautiful thing… you’re the most incredible person.”
Chris had a slightly less celebratory night, earning just 54 of a possible 80 marks, with the judges picking up on several mistakes.
The comedian kept smiling throughout, though, and when partner Karen Hauer suggested his son watching at home would be proud of his efforts, Chris also became choked up.
In Sunday night’s results show, two celebrities will dance off for the final time, after which the three finalists will be revealed.
Find out who makes it through at 7.20pm on BBC One.
