Strictly Come Dancing: 7 contestants who were robbed of the glitterball

But after all the blood, sweat and tears of training, very few contestants get the chance to take home the trophy. Here's our round up of the stars who should have left the dancefloor with some swag...

Ashley Roberts

Pussycat Doll Ashley and partner Pasha Kovalev are the most successful couple in Strictly history, racking up the most 10s and producing some jaw-dropping routines. But they just couldn’t get the public on side. With many believing Ashley had too much previous dance experience, she ended up in the dance-off three times and lost out in the 2018 final to Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton.

Colin Jackson

Every Strictly fan knows that the showdance changes everything. There’s no better example than the moment Colin took to the floor with his partner Erin Boag back in the series two final, to perform a bizarre routine with life-size puppets. It was an over-ambitious, conceptual routine that paled in comparison to Darren Gough’s traditional sparkly showstopper. A risk that lost Colin the glitterball.

Rachel Stevens

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwwZ6LF0G0k

S Club 7 star Rachel was another showdance victim. While her freestyle routine with partner Vincent Simone was excellent, nobody can compete with Tom Chambers tap dancing across the floor in a tux. His old school razzmatazz stole the glitterball from under Rachel’s nose.

Danny Mac

https://www.youtube.com/embed/CABJfSW6MXE

While we loved watching Ore Oduba’s journey to victory in 2016, we still can’t believe Danny Mac stepped away from Strictly without a trophy. He and Oti Mabuse were dancefloor dynamite, and it was often difficult to tell which of them was the professional. They should have won awards for that samba alone…

Will Bayley

Kelvin Fletcher was a worthy winner in 2019, but Paralympian Will Bayley should have been in contention. Injuries cut short his Strictly experience, leaving him and partner Janette Manrara gutted. With his inspirational story, complete commitment to training and brilliant performances he should have made the final at least.

Ricky Whittle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ3Bj-GowHc

Long before he starred in American Gods, Ricky made the Strictly final with popular pro Natalie Lowe. He was undoubtedly a more gifted dancer than eventual winner Chris Hollins, scoring a perfect 40 for both his quickstep and his showdance. But the judges scores mean nothing if you don’t get the votes…

Kellie Bright

We loved everything about Kellie’s run on Strictly. The joy she brought to the dancefloor, her fabulous partnership with Kevin Clifton and that memorable Star Wars-themed Charleston! We’d have loved to see her lift the glitterball, but she lost out in the final to pop star Jay McGuiness.

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