Jaime Winstone fights back tears as she opens up about ‘horrific’ Strictly dance-off

Jaime Winstone became visibly emotional as she looked back on the moment she found herself in the bottom two on Strictly Come Dancing, admitting the experience brought back some of the insecurities she felt at school.

The actress, who is partnered with professional dancer Carlos Gu, survived the first dance-off of the 2026 series on Sunday, October 4, after the judges chose to save her and Carlos over Chris Appleton and Amy Dowden.

But speaking about the ordeal on Strictly: It Takes Two on Tuesday, October 6, Jaime struggled to hold back tears as she described the wait to discover whether she would remain in the competition as a “horrific feeling.”

Jaime says the dance-off took her back to school

Appearing alongside Carlos and presenter Ellie Taylor, Jaime admitted she was not accustomed to showing that level of vulnerability on camera.

The actress explained that being placed in the bottom two had stirred up feelings she remembered from her school years, when she felt as though she did not fit in or was not liked.

She also connected her experience to comments made by Chris Appleton following his elimination.

“It has been really emotional,” Jaime said, reflecting on what had happened. She explained that some of Chris’s comments had resonated with her because the pressure of the dance-off could make you feel like “that child in school” again, wondering whether you belong.

For Jaime, those insecurities were particularly difficult because qualities that can make someone feel different can also be the very things that make them stand out.

She acknowledged that plenty of those feelings had resurfaced during the dance-off, before adding that what mattered was how she responded afterwards.

Her message was simple: falling down is not the end of the story; getting back up matters.

Carlos Gu says he was heartbroken for Jaime

Carlos was equally affected by the result.

The professional dancer admitted that he was “heartbroken” to find himself in a dance-off for the first time in three years and said he felt the outcome had been unfair to Jaime given how much effort she had put into their routine.

As Carlos spoke about her progress, Jaime took several deep breaths and held onto her partner’s hand while trying to keep her emotions under control.

His praise came after an especially difficult couple of days for the pair. Rather than focusing only on the fact that they had ended up in the bottom two, Carlos highlighted how much Jaime had developed as a dancer in a short space of time.

The moment left Jaime visibly emotional as she listened to her partner describe the progress he had seen from her.

Jaime and Carlos survive the first elimination

Jaime and Carlos had faced Chris Appleton and Amy Dowden in the first dance-off of the series after the couples found themselves at the bottom of the combined standings.

The route to the dance-off involved judges’ scores from the opening live show, when there was no public vote, combined with the scores from the second week and the first public vote of the series.

Both couples then had to perform their routines again.

Chris and Amy danced a Cha Cha to “I’ll Be Ready” from Baywatch, while Jaime and Carlos performed their Cha Cha to “Oh, Pretty Woman” from Pretty Woman.

Fourteen couples remain in the competition

With Chris Appleton and Amy Dowden now out of the competition, 14 couples remain in the 2026 series.

Jaime and Carlos will return to the dance floor after surviving an emotional first dance-off, with the actress now facing another week of training following what she described as a particularly difficult experience.

Her appearance on It Takes Two offered a glimpse of the emotional impact of the competition away from the performances themselves, while Carlos made clear how proud he was of the progress she had already made.

For Jaime, the challenge now is to put the disappointment and insecurity of the dance-off behind her and build on the experience.

Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday at 6.15pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.