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Emmerdale actor, Lewis Cope has scored the second perfect score of the 2025 series of Strictly Come Dancing following an impressive Charleston routine on Saturday’s show live from Blackpool.
Dancing with his professional partner Katya Jones to the indie classic “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor” by the Arctic Monkeys, the 30-year-old blew both fans and the judges away.
Cope and Jones were awarded a perfect score of 40, their second of the series, after receiving a score of 10 from each of the judges.
After the performance, judge Motsi Mabuse proclaimed: “What a start! What a beginning! The energy was insane, everything was in place, the movement. The energy you both gave, amazing, the synchronisation. You smashed it, the roof is off!”
Shirley Ballas added: “This is definitely a Blackpool extravaganza for sure. You’re a fantastic dancer but to get this synchronicity takes hours and hours of work. It was absolutely extraordinary.”
Anton DuBeke said: “Wow, wow, wow. Unbelievable. There’s nothing to say. I haven’t written anything down. I am speechless but you are breathtaking.”
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Lewis Cope and Katya Jones perform live during Strictly’s Blackpool week (BBC)
At home, Cope had fans gushing with praise. “Lewis Cope has just won Strictly Come Dancing 2025,” said one viewer.
Another added: “I’d give Lewis 110”.
A third wrote: “Lewis Cope, you’re freaking unbelievable, what a star I can’t believe what I just watched and Katya was incredible as always.”
Lastly, the usually highly critical Craig Revel Horwood, simply said: “One word: Fabulous.”
Cope and Jones were pushed close for perfect scores on the night as former England footballer Karen Carney and her partner Carlos Gu, scored 39 points after their dramatic Paso doble to the opera movement “O Fortuna”.
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Karen Carney dances a Paso doble on Strictly’s Blackpool week (BBC)
All of the judges gave Carney and Gu’s dance a 10, except for Horwood, who was booed after giving the performance an otherwise impressive nine.
Earlier in the show, it was announced that Drag Race star La Voix had been forced to withdraw completely from the competition due to injury. Due to this, it was confirmed that there would be no dance off this week and therefore no elimination. However, this week’s scores and votes will be carried over to next week.