Balvinder Sopal Sets New Strictly Come Dancing Record For Surviving Dance-Offs

As of the weekend, Balvinder Sopal has officially survived more dance-offs than any other Strictly Come Dancing contestant in history.

Last month, it was revealed that the EastEnders star had matched the record set by Jamelia a decade ago when she landed in the bottom two for the fourth time, only to be saved by the judges.

However, while the Superstar singer was sent home after her fifth dance-off, Balvinder has once again managed to be saved by the judging panel, meaning she’s now the title holder.

On Saturday night, she and fellow competitor Alex Kingston found themselves at the bottom of the judges’ leaderboard, with neither star managing to secure enough public votes to save themselves from facing elimination.

For only the second time this season, after both celebrities danced again, the judging panel was split over who they would send home, with Anton Du Beke opting for Alex, while Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse chose Balvinder.

Shirley Ballas then had the casting vote, with Alex being sent home.

The former Doctor Who star said: “I had never in my wildest dreams imagined that I would last this long. It’s been just the most incredible journey for me.

“I feel quite proud of myself because I’ve loved the process, I mean 100%, you can tell by my smile. Everyone always says that their dance partner is a friend for life, but [Johannes Radebe] really will be.”

Writing on Instagram last month, Balvinder told her followers: “Behind the glitz and glamour, the spectacle and the drama are real people’s lives. We still have to manage what goes on outside of the rehearsal room and dance floor, and it’s not always easy to keep it together.

“But what we [do] – despite everything – is show up, every week, and we tell a story, whether that’s in the dance itself or because of a dance off.

Balvinder later wrote on Sunday: “Thank you for all your votes. I know we’ve ended up in the dance off five times, been saved (thankfully), come back fighting and set a new record in the process... but your investment in us means more than anything in the world.

“Your gorgeous messages of support do get read and it humbles my heart to know there is so much love for Team Balian. Thank you!”

She continued: “I also know that unless you know me from [EastEnders]... you know very little about me, and you know even less about my partnership with Julian because we haven’t been in the Clauditorium much, where you can see a little bit more of us, hear about our Strictly journey and catch our vibe.

“But we hope you can feel our energy, connect, see who we are and what we represent through our dances which are filled with passion and story. At our core we are storytellers and this is our story. It’s one I am so proud to be a part of.

“Strictly was a dream, and here I am, through to the quarter final, with the most brilliant dance partner, creating memories and experiencing lots of firsts.”

Fortunately, the soap star appeared to be taking her stints in the dance-off in her stride on Saturday night, joking during her critiques: “I will come back and do it again in the dance-off.”

She and the other four remaining couples will return to the Strictly dance floor on Saturday night for this year’s Musicals Week special, airing at 6.50pm on BBC One.

It’s also been teased that following last week’s Instant Dance challenge, the pairs will also receive yet another “high-stakes dance challenge” on Saturday.