Annabel Croft and Johannes Radebe were so close to the final! (Picture: BBC)
The Strictly Come Dancing 2023 finalists have been revealed – and Annabel Croft has just missed out on a spot in the grand finale.
On Saturday night, the former tennis player and her professional dance partner, Johannes Radebe, took to the dancefloor twice for the semi-final, performing a Salsa and a Viennese Waltz and suffering an unfortunate faux pas in one routine.
After receiving the lowest scores of the night, Annabel and Johannes wound up in the dance-off opposite EastEnders’ Bobby Brazier and his partner Dianne Buswell.
Both of the couples were tasked with dancing their favourite routine of the night, with the former couple doing their Viennese Waltz once again, and the later doing their Quickstep.
When the time came for the judges’ decisions, it was a split vote, as Craig Revel Horwood began by choosing to save Annabel and Johannes.
‘Well, one dance was flashy, one dance was quiet. I think both couples have equalised completely,’ he said.
The pair performed a aalsa and a Viennese waltz in the semi-final (Picture: Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire)
Dianne Buswell and Bobby Brazier also found themselves in the bottom two (Picture: BBC/Guy Levy)
‘I saw improvement in this one couple and based on this dance and nothing in the past but this dance alone, the person which I think had the most exquisite technique is Annabel and Johannes.’
However, the vote then swung the other way, as Motsi chose to save Bobby and Dianne, saying: ‘Well, first of all I have to say this was a really tough one tonight, I think both couples danced really well, and after the dance off I stood there for a few seconds making my decision, there was one dance where there was a slight hesitation at a turn, one slight hesitation was the decision, and I will be saving Bobby and Dianne.’
Anton Du Beke agreed with Motsi, telling the studio audience and viewers at home: ‘Well the semi-final, I mean it’s going to be enormously disappointing for somebody, but I also think its celebration of how well you’ve both done and how far you’ve come and how wonderfully you’ve danced through the whole series.
‘It was a very close run thing and literally because of a coming out of a pivoting section wasn’t as clean as they would have liked and I would have liked, I’m going to be saving Bobby and Dianne.’
With two votes to save Bobby and Dianne and one for Annabel and Johannes, the final choice came down to head judge Shirley Ballas.
She announced: ‘The semi-final 2023, I thought both couples were absolutely extraordinary, I felt that both couples lifted their performance, I thought there was technical qualities on both sides, improvements galore, but again one tiny mistake coming out of a pivot turn and therefore my decision would be to save Bobby and Dianne.’
After her elimination was confirmed, Annabel described her Strictly experience as ‘life-changing’ and ‘extraordinary’.
Three judges voted to save Bobby and Dianne (Picture: PA)
Annabel had the sweetest words for pro partner Johannes after their elimination (Picture: PA)
She congratulated Bobby and Dianne and all the rest of the contestants, before stating: ‘But obviously, it’s been an amazing, magical experience for me. Johannes, you have been absolutely extraordinary.
‘You have given me a reason to get out of bed and come and dance with you, distract me and to heal me. I can’t thank you enough for that. You have been so patient, so caring and so loving. You are an unbelievably special human being. I simply adore you. Thank you so much.’
Johannes also had heartfelt words to share for his partner, saying: ‘I would like to say thank you. Thank you for making the decision to come here. Thank you to Strictly Come Dancing for sending her my way. My life is richer with you in it.
‘I hope we dance long after this has ended. You know my heart and I just want to tell you thank you Annabel. Thank you Lily, thank you Amber, thank you Charlie.’
Annabel continued to express how grateful she was for the journey, describing it as ‘the most incredible rollercoaster ride’ and saying she has had ‘every single emotion you can imagine’.
Vito and Ellie did their Couple’s Choice routine to Dua Lipa’s Blow Your Mind and Physical (Picture: Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire)
Layton and Nikita received a perfect score of 40 for their Charleston, and 36 for their Rumba (Picture: Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire)
‘I really want to thank Strictly for letting me take part in this competition. Thank you to the judges, for your amazing comments and guiding us all along. But I also see this as a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle and I wish that everyone in the public could see what goes on behind the scenes because it’s quite extraordinary the machinery that makes it work and makes the show what it is,’ she shared.
‘The most wholesome family entertainment magical show with so much glitz and glamour and so much enjoyment for everybody. It has been amazing and I can’t thank everyone enough. Thank you so much, Johannes, for the most special time I have had with you.’
Following Annabel and Johannes’ elimination, there are now three remaining couples who’ll go head-to-head in next week’s final: Bobby and Dianne, Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola and Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin.
The Strictly Come Dancing final airs next Saturday at 7pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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They were so close!