Skinner and Dowden first couple eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing

Former Apprentice contestant Thomas Skinner and professional dancer Amy Dowden were the first couple eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing after a judges vote during Sunday night’s results show, the BBC competition confirmed. The pair were sent home on October 5 after a dance-off with former England rugby captain Chris Robshaw and his partner Nadiya Bychkova at the BBC One studio.

Skinner and Dowden repeated their salsa to Bonkers by Dizzee Rascal and Armand van Helden in the dance-off. Robshaw and Bychkova performed a Viennese waltz to Die With A Smile by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars. Judges Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke and Craig Revel Horwood voted to save Robshaw and Bychkova; judge Motsi Mabuse said she would have made the same choice had she needed to cast a deciding vote. The judges had combined scores from the first two live shows with the public vote to identify the bottom two couples.

After the result, Dowden became emotional on screen, saying she had “got to know the real Tom and he is adorable,” and that the experience had restored her confidence after recent health setbacks. Skinner said he enjoyed the show but acknowledged his limitations as a dancer, telling the...