Strictly Come Dancing: Louis Smith the new favourite
Published:Olympic gymnast Louis Smith is set to waltz away with this year’s Strictly Come Dancing title following a brilliant performance last Saturday.
The Olympic silver and bronze medallist impressed the judges with a Charleston full of personality and they awarded him with a score of 37 – the best of the night and the best of the series for Louis and his partner Flavia.
After his initial burst of excellence in the opening weeks his form on the floor dipped somewhat but, after some disappointments, he’s back at to his best at an absolutely crucial time.
He can be backed at 10/11 to win the competition.
His return to the top of the rankings has coincided with Denise van Outen slipping up in her Salsa. Even though her partner James admitted the missed steps were his fault, she scored her worst total since week four which saw her run of four straight wins come to an end.
The former Big Breakfast presenter came into the show on the back of her starring role in the musical Chicago and her ability to adapt and cover mistakes undoubtedly helped her avoid disaster on Saturday.
It wasn’t enough to see her displaced as favourite by Louis though and Denise has now drifted out to 9/4 to win the glitter ball.
Finally, this Saturday looks like being the end of the road for Westlife singer Nicky Byrne who is out at 33/1 to win after picking up just 30 points – a score that saw him and partner Karen rooted in the bottom two.
All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date
