BBC Strictly Come Dancing star says 'she will be out' after 'confirming' exit

Former Strictly Come Dancing star Ola Jordan has hinted at an imminent departure from the show while also predicting who might 'go all the way' in this year's BBC One dance contest.

The ex-Strictly champ was reflecting on last weekend's live show where Dr Punam Krishan and Gorka Marquez ended up at the bottom of the leaderboard.

The duo faced a challenging evening in the ballroom last Saturday night (October 19), scoring 21 points out of 40 for their heartfelt Viennese waltz to Billy Joel's She's Always A Woman To Me.

Post-performance, Shirley Ballas seemed to praise Punam and Gorka's VT, which included Punam's young son, before saying: "You are surprising yourself, and us, with the lovely delightful dancing you are doing. Just need to turn it up a little bit. Beautiful VT and I just think you are a doll."

Anton Du Beke encouraged Punam to "share" her "beautiful dancing" and to "go strong" in her performances. Craig Revel Horwood, on the other hand, felt the routine "lacked musicality, it lacked energy in the body", reports the Manchester Evening News.

Despite the mixed reviews, Strictly enthusiasts were quick to defend the pair's performance, deeming it undermarked. Their support paid off as Punam and Gorka advanced to week six of Strictly's 20th-anniversary series, set for this Saturday night (October 26).

Ola Jordan, former Strictly Come Dancing pro, has given her take on why the public might be saving certain contestants despite low scores from the judges. Speaking to Mecca Bingo, she said: "I think the bottom of the leaderboard very often gets saved. She did an okay job. For me, she was a little bit dragged around the floor by Gorka. She's definitely one of the weakest dancers left in a competition.

"The leaderboard was right in some respect because you've got the Paul, Punam, Pete and Sam in the bottom of the leaderboard, they are all non-dancers. The rest above have had some sort of dance-related training, maybe apart from Chris, but he's very good. The bottom four that are on the leaderboard are really pretty much not dancers."

The champion of the 2009 series, who danced on Strictly from 2006 to 2015, also remarked: "I think she was just lucky with a good dance, to be honest. I think the next Latin dance she gets; she will be out."

However, Ola shared her optimism about who could go far in the competition, tipping one contestant for the final. She added: "I definitely think Chris [McCausland] is going to go all the way. I think that Chris is very good. His bottom half is amazing, like his footwork and his timing, the Waltz timing was very nice, very crisp and very good. I'm very impressed."

Chris and his dance partner Dianne Buswell's latest performance on the Strictly Come Dancing stage saw them deliver a stunning waltz to Liverpool's anthem, You'll Never Walk Alone. This was a tribute to Chris' beloved home city and football club, leaving both judges and viewers emotional.

The pair received their highest score of the series so far, with 35 out of a possible 40 points. They were later seen progressing to the next week, which will be Strictly's annual Halloween special.