Strictly Come Dancing finalists confirmed after last elimination

The three finalists for this year’s Strictly Come Dancing have been confirmed after a couple were eliminated from the competition on Sunday night’s results show.

The bottom two this week were EastEnders actor Balvinder Sopal and partner Julian Caillon (for a record sixth time in this soap) and reality TV star Amber Davies and partner Nikita Kuzmin.

After the dance performance, the jury members voted to send Sopal home.

Davies, who survived the dance competition for the second week in a row, will join social media star George Clarke and former English football player Karen Carney in the final next week.

The EastEnders star, who performed Salsa and Waltz as her two semi-final dances, said she “absolutely loved every minute of it”.

Speaking about the fallout after being eliminated on Sunday night, Sopal said: “All the dancing, all the challenges, but most of all, being in this building and dancing on this ground with such an amazing person.

“This was my ‘Year of Yes’ and I definitely said yes. We went through some tough times as a family, but they were here.”

He also paid tribute to his dance partner Caillon, saying: “You were literally amazing.

“When I was swinging and feeling really great about dancing and getting the steps right, you held me in your hands and said, ‘Honey, we did it.’

“I’ve never felt alone on this floor, and I just want you to remember me. Don’t change me too soon!”

Caillon said Sopal “embodies” what Strictly Come Dancing is all about.

“His spirit is unbreakable and you showed me that I actually dream very small, and Honey can inspire us that whatever any of us want in life, the only thing we have to have is the desire to pursue it.”

Celebrities performed two dances each on Saturday.

Carney and partner Carlos Gu earned a nearly perfect score of 78 out of 80, placing them at the top of the leaderboard with their performance.

The results show also featured a surprise for departing presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.

Following a package of highlights from their best moments working on the show, the pair were presented with their own unique gold Glitterball Award.

There was also a festive performance of Kylie Minogue’s new single XMAS, accompanied by 16 Strictly professional dancers, as well as a special performance of ’90s classic Sit Down by the band James.

The remaining three couples will perform in next weekend’s finale.

It will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 19:00 GMT on Saturday 20 December, with the winner to be chosen that evening.