“A True Master of Her Craft”: Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu Bid Emotional Farewell to Strictly Come Dancing Following Dramatic Split-Decision Dance-Off
The 2026 series of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing has bid farewell to one of its standout partnerships. House of the Dragon actress Bethany Antonia and professional dancer Nancy Xu were eliminated from the competition following a tense, split-decision dance-off against Love Island star Cach Mercer and his professional partner Maddie Ingoldsby.
Taking to the ballroom floor for a repeat performance of their Foxtrot to Leona Lewis’s “Bleeding Love,” the pair earned passionate support from the judging panel, but were ultimately eliminated after Head Judge Shirley Ballas used her deciding casting vote to save Mercer and Ingoldsby.
The Climax: A Divided Judges’ Desk
The weekend dance-off resulted in one of the season’s closest calls, dividing the judges down the middle:
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The Split Ruling: Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse voted to save Bethany and Nancy, praising their technical posture, musicality, and execution in the ballroom style.
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The Head Judge’s Decision: Anton Du Beke and Head Judge Shirley Ballas backed Cach and Maddie. With the panel locked at 2–2, Ballas’s casting vote settled the outcome, ending Antonia and Xu’s seven-week journey.
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Bethany’s Reaction to Craig’s Frustration: Appearing on spin-off show Strictly: It Takes Two, new host Ellie Taylor highlighted Craig Revel Horwood’s visible disappointment at not having the tiebreaker. Antonia quipped in response:“Same! You and me both! It just goes to show that it could have gone either way. Him and Motsi Mabuse were both so lovely and supportive to us, through all of our dances.”
Tears on It Takes Two: “A Proper Experience”
Reflecting on their elimination during Monday’s broadcast of It Takes Two, Antonia broke down in tears as producers aired a retrospective montage of her seven weeks of training and performances:
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Ballroom Passion: Antonia noted that ballroom captured her heart from Week 1:“I absolutely loved the ballroom. I just knew, when we started with that Quickstep, straight away, ballroom was my favourite. So to get to do this [Foxtrot], it felt even more special… It makes it bittersweet because we did all we could do and it wasn’t quite enough to get the public on side, but it did mean that we had so much fun and we could celebrate every week.”
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Mutual Emotional Connection: Professional partner Nancy Xu praised Antonia’s vulnerability on the dance floor, remarking:“I feel like I’m dancing with someone who felt exactly the emotions with me, who felt exactly the energy. We created this memory together.”
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Live Tour Confirmation: The pair softened the blow of their exit by confirming they will reunite in arenas across the UK for the official Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour, with Antonia calling it “the little bit of icing on the cake this week.”
A Poignant Social Media Tribute to Same-Sex Representation
Following the broadcast, Antonia published a social media tribute to Xu featuring behind-the-scenes footage of their final rehearsal dancing silently to Gibran Alcocer’s “Idea 15”:
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Celebrating Visibility: Antonia highlighted the broader cultural significance of their time on the show, emphasizing:“Being given the opportunity to celebrate same-sex partnerships in dancing, a commitment to courage, and embracing change has been truly joyful and I can’t thank everyone enough for the amount of love and support we received.”
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Praise for Nancy Xu: Antonia lauded the pro dancer’s mentorship:“Nancy, getting to do this by your side has been a dream come true. Your commitment and unwavering faith is second to none… Being given the chance to learn from a true master of her craft has been an honour. Thank you for giving me the experience of a lifetime.”
Outpouring of Support Across the Ballroom Community
The elimination sparked immediate reactions and messages of solidarity from fellow competitors and professional dancers:
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Carlos Gu: Praised the authenticity of their routines, commenting: “You’ve come so far, and I love the energy you guys created, simply pure and real… You will be missed so bad darling! Loved watching you and Xu!”
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Amy Dowden: Shared support for the duo, sending “So much love to you both.”
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Josh Widdicombe and Dame Sarah Storey: Commended Antonia’s rapid growth as a performer, with Storey writing: “What an amazing lady you are. Absolutely loved sharing this incredible show with you.”
Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday evening on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with Strictly: It Takes Two airing weeknights on BBC Two.
