Actress Melanie Walters has become the second celebrity contestant to exit the 2026 series of Strictly Come Dancing. The 64-year-old Welsh performer, best known for playing Gwen in the BBC comedy Gavin and Stacey, departed the competition alongside her professional partner, Aljaž Škorjanec, following Sunday’s results show on October 11.
The elimination followed a tense dance-off against former professional footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips and his partner, Alexis Warr. Walters and Škorjanec found themselves in the bottom two after their Saturday night Charleston to Gina G’s classic track “Ooh Aah… Just A Little Bit” scored 17 points out of 40. This placed them near the bottom of the leaderboard for the third consecutive week.
Dance-Off and Judges’ Verdict
During the results show, both couples performed their routines for a second time. Wright-Phillips and Warr repeated their quickstep to The Monkees’ “I’m a Believer,” which had earned them 15 points on Saturday night.
The judging panel was divided when it came time to cast their votes. Motsi Mabuse opted to save Walters and Škorjanec, praising the actress’s resilience and urging her to keep going. However, fellow judges Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas, and Anton Du Beke-who held the casting vote-all chose to save Wright-Phillips and Warr, sending the Gavin and Stacey star home.
Reflecting on her departure, Walters admitted: "To tell you the truth, no word of a lie, I thought I was going to be out last week, so I’ve had an extra week with this beautiful soul."
Aljaž Škorjanec paid tribute to his celebrity partner, saying: "You’re an ultimate professional in what you do; that’s why you’re so successful at what you do. You showed me what hard work really is and what hard work really means. Look, we started every day with, ‘Partner, let’s have the best day ever’. So I want to finish this for us with a huge thank you for every single bit in rehearsals and every single step on that floor."
Journey on the Show
Walters’ journey on the BBC dance competition began with a cha-cha-cha in week one that earned her 15 points. She matched that score during Movie Week with a waltz to “Edelweiss” from The Sound of Music before tackling the Charleston in week three. She is the second celebrity to leave the 2026 series, following the exit of celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton and professional partner Amy Dowden the previous week.
The eliminated pair are scheduled to appear on the BBC Two spin-off show It Takes Two on Monday evening to discuss their time on the programme. Meanwhile, the remaining 13 couples will return to the live shows next Saturday, October 17, for Icons Week.
