Strictly’s Balvinder Sopal turns into the tenth star to be eradicated after shedding to Amber Davies within the dance-off because the three finalists are revealed

Balvinder Sopal and Julian Caillon have become the tenth couple to be eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing 2025, as the three finalists were revealed in Sunday’s results show.

Despite surviving a record five dance-offs, the EastEnders star was voted off at the semi-final stage after the judges unanimously chose to save Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin in the dance-off.

Having each danced two routines during Saturday’s live show, Balvinder and Amber each chose one routine to perform again.

Balvinder said that it was an ‘honour’ to perform again, while Amber claimed it was nerve-wracking to go up against the ‘dance off assassin’.

Balvinder and Julian performed their Salsa to Rhythm Is Gonna Get You/Get On Your Feet by Gloria Estefan, before Amber and Nikita performed their Couple’s Choice to RAYE’s Fly Me to the Moon.

All four judges then voted to save Amber and Nikita, meaning Balvinder and Julian would sadly be leaving the competition.

This meant that Amber and Nikita, George Clarke and Alexis Warr, and Karen Carney and Carlos Gu are this year’s Strictly finalists.

When asked by Tess about her time on the show, Balvinder said: ‘I’ve absolutely adored every single minute. 

‘All the dance offs, all the challenges, but just more than anything, just being in this building and dancing on this floor with such an amazing human being. It was my Yes Year, and I said yes to Strictly. 

‘My family, we’ve had some hard times, but they’ve been here.’

Tess then asked Balvinder what the partnership meant and what she had to say to Julian: ‘I mean, I have no words, actually. You’ve been brilliant in every sense of the word, when I wobbled, and when I felt really brilliant about the dance and got the steps right, you’ve just held me in your hands and you’ve gone, Bal, we’ve got this.

‘It’s just me and you, and we’re gonna do this together. And we have done every single dance together, I’ve never felt alone on this floor, and I just want you to remember me. Don’t replace me too soon!’

When asked about having Balvinder as his first partner on Strictly Come Dancing, Julian said: ‘I just think that Bal embodies what this competition is about. 

‘Her spirit is unbreakable, and [to Bal] you have shown me that I’m actually dreaming too small, and Bal can inspire us that whatever any of us want in life, all you have to have is the desire to go after it. 

‘It took six dance offs and a perfect score to take this lady out, so I am so so proud of you!’

Balvinder then added: ‘Everyone’s been brilliant. The minute you walk into this building, it’s like a massive hug. Every single time. I’ve walked in, people have just held me and gone ‘You know, you’re all right’. 

‘It’s such a wonderful place to work. [To the judges] Thank you. Claud and Tess, I’m grateful that I got to be on the show on your last moment here as well, because you, for me, are what Strictly is about. 

‘You’re the era of Len Goodman and Bruce Forsyth, and that’s when I started watching it, and that, for me, is really special. This year, it’s been full of so many serendipitous moments. I’m so lucky, and I’m really, very happy.’

When asked how she felt about getting to the final, Karen said: ‘I felt like I’d won a competition being cast, let alone coming this far.’

Her partner Carlos Gu revealed that their showdance would be to Texas’ Inner Smile. 

While George said: ‘That’s mental. It’s insane to think that’s even a possibility. It doesn’t feel real. I didn’t expect anything of myself.

‘As Kaz said I was over the moon with the invite onto the show. But I didn’t expect anything.’ 

‘The first five or six weeks we were doing the training and learning the moves. But over time it just clicked that you have to just go for it and not care. It’s given me a new lease of life, I feel like I can just let go.’

His partner Alexis revealed that their showdance will be to The Killers’ song, Human. 

Sunday’s semi-final results show also featured a surprise for Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman ahead of their departure from Strictly Come Dancing after this year’s Christmas Special. 

The pair were shown a highlights package of their decades working on the show, featuring new interviews from the judges and footage from their early years alongside Sir Bruce Forsyth. 

The judges, with help from Kai Widdrington, then awarded Tess and Claudia each their own, first-of-its-kind golden Glitterball Trophy. 

Elsewhere, the results show featured a festive performance from Kylie Minogue of her new single XMAS accompanied by sixteen Strictly Professional Dancers, plus a special performance of the 90s classic Sit Down from the band James. 

It comes after Amber was left in tears in a new behind-the-scenes video after performing during Saturday night’s show.

The former Love Island star has recently faced a wave of online trolling for securing a place in the semi-final – but her dance partner Nikita Kuzim issued a heartfelt plea to trolls last night after seeing her break down.

The pair wowed the audience and judges with a Couple’s Choice routine to RAYE‘s rendition of Fly Me to the Moon, marking their second performance of the evening. 

Taking to the wings after their performance, Amber declared: ‘That was so nice. We can’t stop crying!’

‘That was just beautiful. That was the best, best moment of the season for me.’

Meanwhile, Nikita added: ‘I enjoyed it so much. Like, every single moment I could just… I could just see you shine in front of me.’

‘And I could just see you do your thing. Even when you were coming down, I was just… I was like – my tears started coming, I had to contain myself, because I could just see how much you deserve it.

‘Honestly, you’re just fantastic. Love you. And you deserve all the love in the world.’ 

Following their performance, Nikita used the moment to urge viewers to ‘be kind’ as he explained why Amber deserved to be in the final. 

Turning towards his dance partner Amber, he said: ‘You have had so much hate every single day from the moment you joined.

‘You’ve had so much hate this week and yet, you came every single day into the training room with a big smile ignoring everybody.

‘And just giving me love, giving me a ginger shot as well. But you gave so much love, you always were kind, so caring, you care more about me when I’m supposed to care about you. You care about me every single day, you are such a lovely kind person.

‘And I think sometimes, and I speak to the audience at home, just please be kind because it costs nothing and you (Amber) don’t deserve none of it. 

‘You only deserve love because without you I wouldn’t be here, and the show wouldn’t be as good as it is.’ 

It comes after Amber, who is also a professionally trained dancer, admitted that the backlash is getting to her on Wednesday’s episode of It Takes Two.

She was drafted in as a last-minute replacement for her fellow Love Island star Dani Dyer, 29, after she injured herself while preparing for the show. 

But fans were not happy when Amber and her pro partner Nikita beat Lewis Cope and dance pro Katya Jones on Sunday to secure a place in Saturday’s semi-final and flooded social media with criticism.

Amber said: ‘I would like to think I have thick skin, but obviously the start of the week has been tougher than usual.

‘I would just like to remind everybody that I was never supposed to be here. I was a quick replacement. I’m just doing my best.’

Amber then took the opportunity to thank those who have been supportive of her Strictly journey and added: ‘The love is actually more overpowering than the hate, so if you’ve sent a message or a kind comment our way, then we really do appreciate it so much.’

The Strictly Come Dancing Final airs on Saturday at 7pm on BBC One and iPlayer.