Emmerdale’s Lewis Cope tops Strictly leaderboard after scoring series’ first 10

Former Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope has topped the Strictly Come Dancing leaderboard during movie week after scoring the first 10 of the series.

The 30-year-old and his professional partner Katya Jones scored a total of 37 for their Paso Double to The Plaza Of Execution from the film The Mask of Zorro.

Judge Motsi Mabuse said the performance was “the dance of the night, without a question” and gave them the first 10 point score of the series.

Dressed in a black suit, a hat and a mask, the actor received a standing ovation from Mabuse and guest mentor actor Cynthia Erivo.

Addressing the pair, the Wicked star said of the dance: “Passion, tension, release – all the commitment that could possibly come into this dance was right here.

“My mind is blown. Congratulations.”

Speaking after the performance, Cope said: “I absolutely loved it.

“I mean, I can’t even get the words to say I’m just speechless, I loved it.”

The actor, who performed last on Saturday’s show, said: “I’ve been in these heels now for nearly two hours, but you know, I’m watching everyone else dance, and it inspires me to dance, so thank you.”

It came after the couple placed second in last week’s episode after performing the Viennese waltz to Lose Control by Teddy Swims and scoring 27.

Former Love Island winner Amber Davies, who topped the leaderboard last week, placed second on Saturday’s leaderboard with a score of 35 after dancing the American Smooth to Sixteen Going on Seventeen from The Sound of Music.

In third place on Saturday’s leaderboard was Gladiator Harry Aikines-Aryeetey who performed a Salsa to I Always Wanted a Brother from Mufasa: The Lion King and was was handed a total of 32 by the judges.

Shirley Ballas told the Olympian: “You are just going from strength to strength, you are quite extraordinary in every department.”

Social media star George Clarke performed a couple’s choice dance to Soda Pop from K-Pop Demon Hunters and scored 31 points.

Anton Du Beke told him: “You’re super, super good,” but judge Craig Revel Horwood said: “It needed to be sharper and I think it was out of sync a lot, actually.

“It was a difficult dance, you were set an enormous challenge, which you coped with admirably.”

Actor Alex Kingston received 30 for her quickstep to Suddenly I See from The Devil Wears Prada, while drag artist La Voix and partner Aljaz Skorjanec scored 28 for their waltz to Feed The Birds from Mary Poppins.

Former Chelsea star Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink also received 28 for his rumba to James Bond title track No Time To Die by Billie Eilish, which judge Anton Du Beke said was “one of the best rumbas” he had seen for a “considerable amount of time.”

EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal and her partner Julian Caillon were awarded 26 for their foxtrot to the Frank Sinatra classic The Way You Look Tonight.

Model Ellie Goldstein, who is the first person with Down’s syndrome to compete on the main series of Strictly, danced the samba to Dance The Night from Barbie and scored 27.

Former Lioness Karen Carney danced a cha cha to She’s A Lady by Tom Jones from Miss Congeniality and was awarded a score of 25, while reality TV star Vicky Pattison her partner Kai Widdrington received the same score for their Charleston to A Little Party Never Killed Nobody from The Great Gatsby.

Former England rugby player Chris Robshaw and his professional partner Nadiya Bychkova scored 22 for their paso doble to Sweet Child O’ Mine from Thor.

TV star Ross King was awarded the lowest score of the evening of 19 points for his paso doble to the theme from Thunderbirds Are Go, while judge Anton Du Beke said he was the “most improved” of the week.

Neighbours actor Stefan Dennis did not perform on Saturday due to illness and wrote in an Instagram comment that he was “so sorry” to miss the show but expected to be back next week with a “rip roaring dance”.

According to the competition’s rules, Dennis and his professional partner, last year’s Strictly champion professional dancer Dianne Buswell, will receive a bye to next week’s show.