Strictly Come Dancing 2026 has reached a dramatic turning point. As the BBC competition entered Week 7 on Saturday, 7 November, actress Jaime Winstone was forced to miss the live show following an abdominal muscle injury, leaving nine couples to perform and changing the shape of the race towards Blackpool.
Why Jaime Winstone was absent from Strictly Week 7
Winstone and professional dance partner Carlos Gu did not take to the ballroom floor after she sustained a torn abdominal muscle during rehearsals. Rather than being eliminated for missing the programme, the pair were granted a bye to the following week under the competition’s rules. Their return will depend on her recovery, so viewers should not treat next week’s performance as guaranteed.
The unexpected absence has created a very different Saturday-night contest. Ten couples remained in the competition heading into the weekend, but just nine performed in Week 7. For the other contestants, the usual pressure of judges’ scores and public votes remained, while Winstone and Gu faced the separate challenge of preparing for a possible comeback.
Strictly’s road to Blackpool becomes more unpredictable
With the competition at its halfway point, the approaching Blackpool special is becoming an increasingly important target. The remaining celebrities are no longer simply trying to establish themselves on the dancefloor: they are attempting to build momentum at the stage when one difficult routine can put a promising run in danger.
Last weekend illustrated that uncertainty. Emmerdale actor Lawrence Robb left the competition after an unusual three-couple dance-off, while EastEnders actress Lacey Turner and her partner Vito Coppola led the Halloween leaderboard. The results underlined how dramatically the contest can change from one week to the next.
Winstone’s injury adds another variable. A bye protects her place for now, but missing a performance also means losing an opportunity to impress viewers with fresh choreography. Whether the interrupted preparation affects her momentum is something only a future return can establish.
Which dances featured in Week 7?
Saturday’s programme offered a wide mix of ballroom and Latin styles. Turner and Coppola danced a rumba to Coldplay’s Yellow, while Will Best and Dianne Buswell tackled a quickstep to Maroon 5’s This Love. Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington performed a cha-cha to Jennifer Lopez’s Let’s Get Loud.
Elsewhere, Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu chose a foxtrot to Leona Lewis’s Bleeding Love, and Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin performed an American smooth to It Had to Be You. Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita faced a paso doble set to Muse’s Supermassive Black Hole.
The remainder of the running order included Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby with a waltz, Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley with a Couple’s Choice routine, and John Nellis and Katya Jones with a salsa. Such contrasting routines make direct comparisons difficult, with technique, performance and the demands of each dance all contributing to the judges’ assessment.
What happened on the Week 7 leaderboard?
In Saturday’s live coverage, Turner and Coppola were awarded 30 points for their rumba. Goodrem and Widdrington also scored 30 for their cha-cha, while Antonia and Xu earned 30 for their foxtrot. Best and Buswell received 29 for their quickstep. These are reported individual scores, not a claim about the final complete leaderboard.
The judges’ marks are only part of the story. Public voting can change which couples face the dance-off, so an apparently comfortable score does not settle the outcome. No elimination from the Week 7 results show is being reported here before its official broadcast.
When are the Strictly results announced?
The Week 7 results programme is scheduled for Sunday, 8 November, on BBC One, with the regular results show also featuring a Remembrance-themed professional performance and music from Gregory Porter. Viewers can follow the programme on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, subject to regional availability.
The biggest unresolved question beyond Sunday’s elimination is Winstone’s fitness. If she is cleared to return, the competition could be back to a fuller lineup just as the journey towards Blackpool intensifies. Until there is confirmation, any claim that she has withdrawn permanently — or is certain to dance next weekend — would be premature.
Strictly Week 7: the key takeaway
Week 7 has delivered exactly the kind of unpredictability that makes Strictly Come Dancing compelling. A serious rehearsal setback, a temporary bye and increasingly competitive performances have all raised the stakes. Fans will now be watching two developments closely: Sunday’s official result and whether Winstone and Gu can return to the floor next week.
Sources: The Independent, 7 November 2026; TV Guide, 7 November 2026; Radio Times, 6 November 2026; The Guardian live coverage, 7 November 2026.