Strictly Come Dancing’s seventh live show has produced a new leader: Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin finished Saturday 7 November with 36 points for their American Smooth, putting them at the top of the judges’ leaderboard ahead of Sunday’s results programme. Their performance marked a striking change from the previous week’s standings, when EastEnders actress Lacey Turner led the field.
Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin take the lead
Dani and Nikita closed the BBC One programme with an American Smooth to Harry Connick Jr’s version of “It Had to Be You”. The judges awarded 36 out of 40, the highest score of the evening, according to The Guardian’s live coverage of the show. The result gives the pair a strong position going into the public-vote calculation, although it does not guarantee their safety.
The distinction matters. Strictly’s Saturday leaderboard reflects the four judges’ marks for each dance. Sunday’s dance-off is decided using the competition’s combination of judges’ scores and public votes. A high position on Saturday is an advantage, not a confirmed place in the next round. No elimination had been announced at the end of Saturday’s live performances.
Tabby Stoecker finishes second as the competition tightens
Tabby Stoecker and professional partner Mark Karmalita scored 33 points for a Paso Doble to Muse’s “Supermassive Black Hole”. Their second-place finish represented a notable improvement on Halloween Week, when the couple had ended up towards the foot of the judges’ table despite having previously produced one of the series’ standout routines.
The contrast between those two weekends illustrates how quickly the contest can change. A celebrity who performs well in one dance style may face a different technical challenge the following Saturday. Judges assess what happens on the floor that night, not a contestant’s reputation or earlier score. Tabby’s recovery therefore adds another twist to an increasingly unpredictable season.
Lacey Turner slips from last week’s top spot
Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola, who topped Halloween Week with 36 points for their Charleston, scored 26 for their Rumba on 7 November. The drop does not automatically place them in the dance-off, but it shows why the leaderboard cannot be treated as a fixed ranking of the celebrities’ overall ability.
Cach Mercer and John Nellis also finished on 26, sharing the bottom score reported in The Guardian’s live recap. Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley earned 28 for their Couple’s Choice. Hall’s routine was an emotional performance connected to his recovery from a stroke and the people who supported him, rather than simply another conventional ballroom number. Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu received 30 for their Foxtrot.
Those scores create several possible outcomes once viewers’ votes are included. A contestant near the bottom can be saved by the audience, while someone higher on the judges’ table can still face the dance-off. The precise public-vote totals are not available, so it would be premature to identify the couple leaving the competition.
Why Jaime Winstone was missing from Week 7
One of the season’s remaining couples did not dance on Saturday. Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu were absent after Winstone suffered an abdominal muscle injury. The pair received a bye into the following week, rather than being eliminated. Their absence left nine couples performing on the night.
The injury had been reported before Saturday’s programme, and the BBC show’s arrangements were described in coverage by The Independent and other UK entertainment outlets. A hoped-for return next week is not the same as medical confirmation that Winstone will be ready to compete. Her condition and the programme’s subsequent announcements will determine what happens next.
What happens in Sunday’s results show?
The next stage is the results programme on Sunday 8 November. The couples’ judges’ scores and viewers’ votes will determine who must perform again in the dance-off. The judges then decide which couple stays, with head judge Shirley Ballas holding the deciding vote if required under the show’s rules.
Sunday’s programme is also due to include a Remembrance Sunday professional dance and a musical appearance by Gregory Porter. These performances are separate from the competition result. Until the programme airs, any claim about who has been eliminated would be speculation.
For now, the confirmed headline from Saturday is Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin’s 36-point lead, with Tabby Stoecker close behind and several established contenders facing a much tighter contest. The Sunday result, not the Saturday leaderboard alone, will determine which celebrities continue their journey towards the Glitterball trophy.
Sources: The Guardian, live Week 7 coverage, 7 November 2026; The Independent, Week 7 live updates, 7 November 2026; CultureCues, Week 7 preview and scores coverage, 7 November 2026.