Natalie loses her sparkle as she exits Strictly

There were tears on the dance floor last night as Natalie Cassidy and her partner Vincent Simone left Strictly Come Dancing.

The actress and her Italian dance partner found themselves in the dance-off with one of the pre-show favourites Ricky Whittle. Both had performed new dance Rock 'n' Roll but both failed to impress the judges, Natalie was last on the leader board with 26 and Ricky struggled with his lowest ever score of 31.

After continually losing out to X Factor on the ratings bosses for the BBC1 show obviously felt the show needed more sparkle, so not only did the celebrities and their professional partners have to learn a new dance never before performed on Strictly, either a Charleston or a Rock 'n' Roll, they also had to compete in the first ever ballroom competition dance where all five couples took to the floor at once.

The night started with dark horses Chris and Ola wowing the judges and appreciative audience with a cheeky Charleston, a dance well deserving of the 34 score they received from the judges. The sports presenter may have danced under the radar so far but he and Ola are picking up public support and good judges scores at the right time and I wouldn't be surprised if they not only reach the final but also go on to pick up that mirror ball trophy.

As Chris and Ola flourished it was Ricky and Natalie who took one of the biggest dips in form on the night, receiving their first seven and lowest ever score. Mid-week events may have harmed their chances but Ricky and Natalie struggled to get into their stride during their Rock 'n' Roll and at points looked very unstable; their throws and lifts failing to win over the judges or the voting public.

Following Ricky was his closest rival Ali Bastian and her partner Brian Fortuna. The former Hollyoaks and The Bill actress battled through a ankle injury to perform a lively and fun Charleston, the pair once again leading the pack with an impressive 37 and again receiving a perfect 10 for their dance from Alesha.

Next up on the floor was Natalie and Vincent. The EastEnders actress as always entertained the crowd but her bubbly personality couldn't save her from a bashing from the judges for a clumsy routine, scoring only 26.

The final couple were last week's dance off survivors Laila and Anton. Both looked comfortable performing a cheeky Charleston, impressing everyone but judge Craig Revel Horwood who harshly only scored a 6 for what I thought was an enjoyable and well-performed routine. Luckily the other judges didn't agree and Laila went on to score 31.

After all five couples had performed individually they all took to the floor for Strictly's first ever competition dance. Each couple glided round the floor performing a beautiful Waltz. Ballroom queen Ali topped the score with a perfect 10, followed by Ricky with 9, Laila with 8 and Chris and Natalie both with 7. This new element was a success, adding a new dimension to what was a fading format.

Adding all the individual, group and public voting together it was Rock 'n' Roll dancers Ricky and Natalie who finished bottom. Whilst it was clear who was the better dancer overall Ricky cemented his place in next week's show with a flawless routine whilst Natalie stumbled through her own Rock 'n' Roll performance. Natalie and Vincent had a slim chance going into the dance off but no chance after it.

Picture from What's on TV