The meaning behind Strictly Come Dancing’s ‘vulnerable four’ – and why the ‘terrified’ stars shouldn’t panic

Strictly Come Dancing’s new ‘bottom four’ format has sparked new fear among this year’s contestants.

Insiders told the Daily Mail that the celebrities and their professional dance partners are now ‘absolutely horrified’ to be stuck in the final four positions during Sunday night’s results show, as it prolongs the possibility of being kicked out of the series.

But program sources revealed that the tweaked format gave the two couples unnecessary extra worry about leaving the competition, as the final four were not decided by viewers’ votes.

Indeed, two contestants are randomly selected to be in the final four, alongside the two couples with the fewest votes, and according to sources, this is a device to add more drama to the results.

Last weekend’s show saw Ellie Goldstein and Balvinder Sopal face off in a dance-off after finding themselves in the final four alongside Amber Davies and Harry Aikines-Aryeetey.

But the final two celebs may have placed much higher in the public vote but still be dragged into the hell of elimination fear.

Insiders told the Daily Mail that the celebs and their professional dance partners are now ‘absolutely horrified’ to be stuck in the bottom four rows at Sunday’s results show.

Program sources revealed the tweaked format gave the two couples unnecessary extra worry about leaving the competition, as the final four are not decided by viewers’ votes

An insider said: ‘The bottom four are keeping every couple on their toes and this is only prolonging the misery for some.

‘It is well known behind the scenes that the stars are not fans of the business, they are just afraid of being left to the end.

‘And in some cases it’s completely unnecessary because their votes put them up the rankings, but they don’t realize it, so what they don’t need is an anxiety-inducing fear.’

Sunday’s show was particularly difficult for Amber, who had already been in the bottom two the previous week and survived the dance-off against Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink despite coming second on the leaderboard.

The former Love Island star knows she faces an uphill battle to win over viewers due to her dance background having previously appeared in West End shows.

And staying in the last four has further fueled fears of leaving the competition early.

On Saturday night, Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope, paired with Katya Jones, topped the Strictly rankings after scoring the series’ first perfect score.

Meanwhile, Gladiator star Harry and his professional partner Karen Clifton finished last with a modest 26 points.

The Daily Mail has contacted a Strictly spokesperson for comment.

Ellie and Vito Coppola were the couple eliminated from the competition after the judges chose to save EastEnders actor Balvinder.

After the contestants are told they are safe from the public vote, they visit show host Claudia Winkleman in her section of the studio to debrief.

Ellie and Vito Coppola were the couple eliminated from the competition after the judges chose to save EastEnders actor Balvinder.

After leaving the competition, Ellie talked about what she loved most about being on the show, but also admitted how ‘scary’ the conclusion could be.

Speaking on It Takes Two, she said: ‘I love being with him, the Vito guy. So I absolutely enjoyed being with Vito, remember I have the best partner in the world.

‘So I loved dancing in the live show, it was scary in the results show, the results are so scary. I loved my tan, I loved being in Elstree…’

Amber, who stepped in to replace Dani Dyer at the last minute, found the dance competition particularly challenging.

She and her partner Nikita Kuzmin gave strong performances and impressed the judges, but they still had to dance to secure their place in the competition.

Sources close to Amber told the Daily Mail at the time that she put the dance number in her stride and used it as motivation for future routines.

A friend said: ‘Everyone thought Amber would panic and worry at the dance competition but that’s not the case.

‘He wasn’t surprised at all that it was there. Definitely this is an entertainment show and everyone’s game. In fact, I had a feeling he would be in the bottom two on Saturday.

‘But he goes into this week feeling positive. There’s no anxiety or panic in her and she’s still really enjoying her Strictly experience.

‘For Amber, it was never about winning the show; ‘He works hard, he is humble and he feels particularly grateful for all the support he has received from the theater community.’