Maisie Smith eyes perfect score during Strictly’s semi-final week

EastEnders star Maisie Smith reigned at the top of the Strictly Come Dancing leaderboard after impressing the judges during semi-finals week.

The remaining five couples tackled two dances each on Saturday for a place in the grand finale.

Smith scored 59 out of a possible 60 points across the night, earning a perfect score with a couple’s choice routine to Will Smith’s Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It.

Lead judge Shirley Ballas said: “It will go down in history as one of the best numbers I have seen,” while Motsi Mabuse said it was “out of this world”.

Later in the night Smith delivered a passionate Viennese waltz alongside her professional partner Gorka Marquez.

“One of the most beautiful Viennese waltzes I have seen,” Ballas told her afterwards.

HRVY and his partner Janette Manrara were in second after he performed a lacklustre rumba inside an oversized snowglobe, scoring 23.

But he made up for it later, closing the night with a Charleston to Another Day Of Sun from the film La La Land.

“You better be careful they don’t ask you to come back as a pro,” Mabuse said before he was awarded a perfect score of 30.

Reality TV star Jamie Laing and comedian Bill Bailey were drawn in third place with 48 points apiece.

Stand-up Bailey and his professional partner Oti Mabuse performed a dramatic tango to Metallica’s heavy metal track Enter Sandman.

The dance floor was transformed into a guitar as the comedian struck the sign of the horns hand gesture, popularised by the band Kiss.

Both Ballas and Mabuse described the unusual choice of song as “epic” and Dave Arch, the leader of the Strictly house band, was shown on camera enjoying a guitar solo.

Good Morning Britain presenter Ranvir Singh languished at the bottom of the leaderboard with 44 points.

She waltzed to Josh Groban’s Un Giorno Per Noi, bathed in blue light, and earned 26 points.

But Craig Revel Horwood criticised her footwork, and said her dress “covered a multitude of sins”.

And later she jived to Christina Aguilera’s hit Candyman dressed as a sailor and scored only 18.

Revel Horwood described her as “heavy and laboured”, adding: “This dance did not suit you at all.”

This year’s series saw history made as boxer Nicola Adams and Katya Jones performed as the show’s first same-sex couple.

But the pair were forced to withdraw from the competition early after Jones tested positive for Covid-19.

TV presenter JJ Chalmers was the sixth and most recent celebrity to be eliminated from the series.

Strictly Come Dancing continues on BBC One on Sunday at 7.30pm.