The Last Dance

Danny departs Strictly.

16 November, 2018

It was looking good for a while, there. Our very own Danny John-Jules was kicking considerable amounts of bottom on the BBC's weekly rug-cutting competition Strictly Come Dancing, and we were confident he was a strong bet to make it all the way to the final. Alas, it wasn't to be.

Just a few short weeks ago, shortly after our last update, Danny and his partner Amy Dowden scored the first perfect 10 from the judges of the series with a tremendous jive:

Flip, Flop, Jive! ?? @DannyJohnJules and @dowden_amy are flying across the #Strictly dancefloor pic.twitter.com/9r9QOP6045

— BBC Strictly ? (@bbcstrictly) October 20, 2018

Then it was a zombie-tastic routine for Halloween week:

Zombies @DannyJohnJules and @dowden_amy really brought their routine to life! ??? #Strictlypic.twitter.com/Vsfm3X4UnL

— BBC Strictly ? (@bbcstrictly) October 27, 2018

In week six, however, some difficulty with the quickstep routine saw a lower than expected score, and Danny was forced to rely on the public vote in order to stay in.

A few missteps, but still a great Quickstep @DannyJohnJules and @dowden_amy! #Strictlypic.twitter.com/gmgJRcBpWf

— BBC Strictly ? (@bbcstrictly) November 3, 2018

"There must be lot of Dwarfers out there!" said Danny as the votes from fans ensured that he didn't even have to take part in the final dance-off to stay in.

We were all set to see the combination of Danny's immense talent and a loyal fanbase sweep him all the way through to the Blackpool show and hopefully, ultimately, the final. But after this performance in Week 7, Danny and Amy faced the Sunday dance-off for the first time:

?? @DannyJohnJules and @dowden_amy look right at home with the Samba #Strictlypic.twitter.com/aWAcMHnVCB

— BBC Strictly ? (@bbcstrictly) November 10, 2018

And with the decision coming down to the judges, controversially only one of the four (Craig Revel Horwood) elected to save the pair over cricketer Graeme Swann - and so Danny and Amy's journey came to an end.

We're sorry to see that Danny didn't make it all the way to the final, but everyone in the Red Dwarf family is proud of the work he put in and the brilliant performances across his seven week stint. We hope it's not too long before we see his fleet-footed work on stage again!

Catch up on Danny's Strictly appearances on iPlayer.