Dani Dyer tops the leaderboard as she and Nikita Kuzman wow fans with a ‘gorgeous’ American Smooth – while the hosts address Jaime Winstone’s absence

Dani Dyer topped the Strictly Come Dancing leaderboard on Saturday as she and dance partner Nikita Kuzmin wowed fans with their American Smooth. 

Dancing to It Had to Be You by Harry Connick, Jr, the pair made quite the entrance as Dani slid down the banister and onto the dancefloor before launching into a slick routine that oozed old school Hollywood glamour.

Fans at home were lapping it up as they branded it ‘gorgeous’ while declaring ‘that entrance deserved 10’s alone!’

Shirley was certainly impressed as she gave a solo standing ovation, telling the TV star, 30, she should be ‘proud’ of her achievements, while Motsi stated that it was ‘classy, beautiful and made me smile.’

As a result, Dani and Nikita scored an amazing 36 points (including her first 10 of the series), launching them straight to the top of the leaderboard. 

Watching the scenes unfold, Strictly viewers took to X to gush about the performance, which is the highest scoring American Smooth of the series so far.  

They penned: ‘They saved the best till last! Wow! That stair move was Fab-u-lous! That was stunning, amazing, beautiful, graceful and great choreography and storytelling from Dani and Nikita 

‘Dani was brilliant. That entrance deserved 10’s alone.’

‘Dani has really found her confidence and i have loved watching her growth over the weeks. her American smooth might actually be my dance of the series so far.’

‘Now THAT’S an entrance!’; ‘I’m so emosh for Dani, that was GORGEOUS!!!!!’

‘So so happy for Dani & Nikita, that was amazing!!!!’ 

Meanwhile, the Strictly Come Dancing hosts addressed Jaime Winstone’s exit on Saturday night after the actress was forced to miss the show due to injury. 

Jaime, 41, who has survived three dance-offs, has been advised by doctors to rest and in line with the rules of the BBC One show, she and dance partner Carlos Gu will receive a bye through to next week when it is hoped they will be able to perform again. 

And as week seven kicked off, hosts Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe shared their well wishes for Jaime as she continues to recover at home.

As Josh explained the rules regarding her absence, Emma said: ‘We miss you so much, we’re sending you all our love and hope you get better soon.’   

Jaime said in a statement on Wednesday: ‘I am absolutely devastated not to be dancing this weekend due to a torn abdominal muscle. I am in considerable pain, and my doctors have advised complete rest to give my body the best possible chance to heal.

‘As frustrating as it is, I have to put my health first and follow their advice to step away from dancing this week.

‘I love every moment of dancing and performing with Carlos, and I am praying for a speedy recovery so that I can continue this magical journey.

‘I want to thank everyone for their incredible support so far. It means more than you know. Wishing everyone on the show all the luck, love and strength for Saturday night and I hope to be back on that dance floor very soon. With love, Jaime.’ 

Meanwhile, Will Best and Dianne Buswell were the first to step foot on the dancefloor for week seven, doing a Quickstep to This Love by Maroon 5.

And the pair gave it plenty of energy, as Motsi commented on his ‘showmanship’, however, Craig wasn’t as enthusiastic as he noted there was a ‘slight improvement on your last ballroom but little bit bouncy in the top half, but great energy and totally watchable’.

Despite the pair having faced a wardrobe malfunction, with the pearls having fallen off Diane’s dress, the duo bagged a decent score of 29 points. 

After topping the leaderboard last week with their energetic Charleston, Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola slowed things down as they took on the Rumba to Yellow by Coldplay. 

The pair put on a stunning display as Lacey showed off her flexibility with a jaw-dropping leg lift. 

Anton gushed that it was ‘the sort of rumba I like’, while Shirley insisted the actress was ‘much better than you think’. Meanwhile, after some criticism, Craig remarked that their routine was absolutely gaw-jus!’

The judges comments were reflected in the scores, with the pair bagging 30 points. 

Fan favourites Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington were up next, performing the Cha Cha the Let’s Get Loud by Jennifer Lopez.

Delta channelled the superstar in a green frock, with the routine leaving the audiences in raptures.

The performance garnered mixed feedback from the judges, with Anton noting that while it was ‘spectacular’, they needed to ‘fix’ their spins, while Motsi observed that it was ‘energetic’ but needed ‘more coordination.’

Despite this, they still managed to score an impressive 31 points.

After surviving their second dance-off last week, Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu did the Foxtrot to Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis.

Motsi was a huge fan of their efforts, telling Bethany that it was ‘your best dance’ and she needed to be ‘proud;’ of herself, but Shirley was less forthcoming with the praise, stating: ‘I wanted more breath, stretch, fluidity and emotional.’ The pair scored 30 points.

John Nellis and Katya Jones danced the Salsa to Get Lucky by Daft Punk feat. Pharrell and Nile Rodgers.

As with the other contestants, John and Katya got a mixed bag of comments from the judges, with Shirley, despite loving the lifts told the pair they needed more rotation, while Anton said it was ‘great’ but needed ‘more groove and rhythm’.

While Craig got a chorus of boos from the audience as he fumed: ‘The wiggles were like a toddler having a tantrum.’ Despite Craig’s lowly 4 points, the pair managed to bag 26 overall. 

Up next was an emotional one as Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley took on their Couple’s Choice to The Book Of Love by Peter Gabriel.

The VT saw Graeme detailing how lucky he is to be here after a stroke in 2019, with the dog expert delivering a message of hope before dedicating the dance to others who have overcome health issues. 

The moving performance left everyone emotional, particularly host Josh. Motsi opened by saying: ‘we only have one life and I’m glad you’re here with us today’ and declared it ’emotional and moving’, with Anton commenting that it was ‘the perfect number for you.’

With Craig saying it was ‘not a technical masterpiece’ and therefore giving the pair a 5, Graeme and Lauren bagged 28 points overall. 

After toppling from the top of the leaderboard to the bottom, Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita were determined to win favour as they danced the Paso Doble to Supermassive Black Hole by Muse. 

And they certainly did that with Motsi stating: ‘you’re back with a vengeance’, with Anton agreeing as he gushed: ‘you are back on form.’

Despite misgivings about their body shaping and footwork, the duo earned a respectable 33 points, which put a huge smile on their faces. 

Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby were the next pair to take to the floor, doing the Waltz to That Ain’t You by Mulaa Joans. 

Anton was pleased as he said: ‘I love that whole old-meets-new style’, but unfortunately for the Love Island star, the compliments stopped their as the other judges slammed his performance. 

Craig exclaimed that he had to ‘totally disagree’ with Anton’s comments as he took umbrage at Cach’s lack of heel lead, poor posture and turned in feet.’

With Shirley added that there was ‘too many basic footwork errors’, Cach and Maddie scored a lowly 26 points, landing them joint bottom of the leaderboard. 

Bringing Saturday night’s proceedings to an end, Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin took on the American Smooth this week, with their performance landing them at the top of the leaderboard. 

The programme has come under enormous scrutiny this year after the hosting trio of Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe replaced the outgoing Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.

While Emma is deemed to be a triumph, Josh and former pro dancer Johannes have been criticised for fluffing their lines and timing missteps.

Last week, the Mail on Sunday revealed that BBC bosses know that they need to make changes to the presenting line-up for next series.

As the 24th series of Strictly Come Dancing reaches the halfway point, amid tumbling ratings and criticism of its new presenters, bosses are to hold a crisis meeting.

Show insiders have told The Mail on Sunday senior producers are ‘bereft’ at how Strictly has been received this year but are refusing to give up on it.

One source said BBC bosses know they have a ‘Premier League product’ that’s operating at a ‘League One standard’.

One source said BBC bosses know they have a ‘Premier League product’ that’s operating at a ‘League One standard’.

The insider told the MoS: ‘Nobody wants to give up on Strictly. It’s a brilliant show and everyone inside the BBC believes that.

‘It needs the jazz and glamour put back into it, and they are determined to do that.

‘There have been conversations, but there is to be a proper meeting where ideas will be put forward on how to resurrect it for the viewers.

‘Realistically, it’s too late for this series but there is no way that it can’t be overhauled for next year.’

Strictly Come Dancing’s results show on Sunday will mark Remembrance Sunday with a special group performance from the Professionals.