Entertainment · TV & Streaming · 18 hrs ago
Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu are eliminated from Strictly
Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu have left Strictly Come Dancing, becoming the sixth couple eliminated in the 2026 series.
The actor and her professional dance partner faced Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby in the Sunday results-show dance-off.
The couples performed their routines again: Antonia and Xu danced a foxtrot, while Mercer and Ingoldsby performed a waltz.
The judges split their votes, with Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse backing Antonia and Xu, and Anton Du Beke choosing Mercer and Ingoldsby.
Head judge Shirley Ballas had the deciding vote and saved Mercer and Ingoldsby, sending Antonia and Xu home.
Antonia and Xu’s departure followed a Saturday performance that scored 30 points, while Mercer and Ingoldsby scored 26; the remaining couples compete again next week.
Bethany Antonia and professional partner Nancy Xu were eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing 2026, becoming the sixth couple to leave.
They lost a dance-off against Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby after the judges were split.
Anton Du Beke voted to save Mercer and Ingoldsby, while Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse backed Antonia and Xu.
Head judge Shirley Ballas cast the deciding vote for Mercer and Ingoldsby, sending Antonia and Xu home.
Antonia and Xu performed a Foxtrot to Leona Lewis’s Bleeding Love in the dance-off; Mercer and Ingoldsby danced a Waltz to That Ain’t You.
- Who
- Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu were eliminated; Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby stayed in the competition.
- What
- The sixth couple was eliminated after a dance-off and a split judges’ vote.
- When
- Sunday, 8 November 2026.
- Where
- Strictly Come Dancing’s results show.
- Why
- Shirley Ballas cast the deciding vote to save Mercer and Ingoldsby after the judges split. Radio Times also reports that the couples entered the dance-off after receiving the fewest public votes.
Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu
Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby
Dance-off result
Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu
Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse voted to save Antonia and Xu.
Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby
Anton Du Beke and Shirley Ballas voted to save Mercer and Ingoldsby.
Judges’ scores on Saturday
Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu
Antonia and Xu scored 30 points.
Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby
Mercer and Ingoldsby scored 26 points.
Antonia and Xu scored 30 points for their Foxtrot, while Mercer and Ingoldsby scored 26 for their Waltz.
Antonia and Xu and Mercer and Ingoldsby faced each other in the dance-off.
The judges split their votes, and Shirley Ballas’s deciding vote saved Mercer and Ingoldsby.
The remaining couples were scheduled to return to the dancefloor.
- Eliminated couple
- Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu
- Dance-off opponents
- Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby
- Judges’ score: Antonia and Xu
- 30 points
- Judges’ score: Mercer and Ingoldsby
- 26 points
- Deciding vote
- Shirley Ballas saved Mercer and Ingoldsby
5 sources
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What people are saying
I've had the most amazing time. It was our time, and this week to go out on this dance and to feel the magic of getting to do that kind of routine and what it means and what it stands for on the night that we go out just means everything to me.
One thing I would love to tell you is, do not say to yourself you can't do it because you can. You made a lot of girls proud of you watching you dance.