Strictly Come Dancing fans treated to spooky Halloween…

Strictly Come Dancing fans treated to spooky Halloween performances - but they missed one dancer

Strictly Come Dancing fans were treated to spooky performances this weekend - however the absence of one dancer was noticeable.

During week six of the dance contest, stars took to the ballroom for the annual Halloween special. The remaining 11 couples attempted to impress during the live show on Saturday night with their spooky performances.

Manchester Evening News reported how comedian Ellie Taylor came joint top of the scoreboard after her Hocus Pocus inspired routine and said it was "one of the best moments of my life". The Ted Lasso actress and her professional partner Johannes Radebe scored 35 for their couple’s choice dance to I Put A Spell On You by Bette Midler.

The routine, which involved a smoking cauldron, received a standing ovation and rapturous applause from the audience as they closed the show. It put them on top of the scoreboard alongside Kiss FM DJ Tyler West and partner Dianne Buswell for their Beetlejuice-inspired cha cha cha.

Ellie Taylor and Johannes Radebe during the live show of Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday (PA)

Other on-screen action during the live show included:

TV and radio presenter Helen Skelton dressed as Little Red Riding Hood and her partner Gorka Marquez as The Wolf.
Actor Will Mellor appeared out of a sarcophagus alongside his partner Nancy Xu for their mummy-inspired cha cha cha.
Tony Adams received his best score so far for his quickstep to The Devil Went Down by Georgia by The Charlie Daniels Band.

Strictly fans flocked to social media to share how much they missed professional dancer Giovanni Pernice. It is the first time the 32-year-old hasn't performed in Strictly's Halloween special since joining the show in 2015.

The show's reigning champ made history last Halloween with partner Rose Ayling-Ellis with their routine after the pair received a perfect score of 40 out of 40.

Giovanni and his 2022 celebrity partner Richie Anderson were eliminated after they donned Lion King costumes during Movie Week. BBC Radio 2 host Richie dressed as mischievous meerkat Timon, while reigning Gio, was dressed as warthog Pumbaa.

@sian_davies_xx tweeted: "Who we really missed this week! The HALLOWEEN KING himself #Strictly," alongside a string of images of Giovanni during different Halloween weeks. @Henry92589880 said: "This Halloween week was as predicted so boring without Giovanni However thankfully Ellie T & Johannes were tonight’s saviours as they show what Halloween is truly about It’s spooky, it’s fun, it’s CAMP! #Strictly."

@Perrie84318204 cried: "Missed Giovanni tonight #Strictly." @AletaMarshXXX posted: "Strictly Come Dancing just wasn't the same without the fantastic Giovanni. Giovanni has produced such spectacular performances on Halloween. Giovanni is top class." @MRipley13 wrote: "Halloween week without Giovanni just doesn't hit the same. #StrictlyComeDancing #Strictly." @jaimytweets added: "#Strictly Halloween just isn’t the same without Giovanni ‘Petrifying’ Pernice, is it?"

Ahead of Saturday night's show, one fan took to social media to remember Giovanni's spooktacular routine with Rose last year, weeks before they lifted the Glitterball trophy. And he took time to respond as he said: "Well technically I'm not competing this year which means nobody is beating the title ha ha ha!! Anyway, enjoy the show tonight… I know I will."

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