No encore for Davood Ghadami, as he leaves Strictly in Musicals Week

Coming from Albert Square straight into the Ballroom, actor Davood Ghadami has impressed and inspired us all in equal measure. However, his dreams of making it to the Strictly final were cut short tonight as he became the next celebrity to leave the show.

In the Quarter Final – which was also Musicals Week – Davood danced a Phantom of the Opera themed Argentine Tango with partner Nadiya Bychkova. But their dramatic routine failed to enchant the Judges due to balance issues, placing them joint bottom of the leaderboard by the end of the show. As a result, once all the public votes had been counted, Davood and Nadiya saw themselves in the Dance Off against Alexandra and Gorka.

Despite performing their show-stopping routine again, each of the Judges opted to save Alexandra, with Darcey saying: "Both couples gave 100% tonight and it’s tough to see anybody go, but there was one performance that totally outshined the other and that was Alexandra and Gorka.”

Head Judge Shirley agreed she would have also saved Alexandra, had she needed to place a vote.

Davood graciously accepted defeat, saying to Tess: "I never thought I’d get this far which is why I’m smiling as I never thought I’d reach this point. I never thought I’d get to see and meet such amazing people. We’re all mates, every comment I’ve ever received good and bad, and to dance in front of audiences like this has been a real gift and I’ve never done anything like this before, so it’s been an unforgettable experience."

His partner Nadiya, who only joined the Strictly family this year, said: "I’m such a lucky girl to have you as my partner and it’s such a privilege to have been part of your journey because I think it’s been incredible, the way you’ve improved and come so far. Thank you for everything.”

You can hear even more about Davood and Nadiya's time on Strictly when they chat to Zoë on It Takes Two, tomorrow on BBC Two at 6.30pm.