Nancy dell'Olio makes her 'Strictly' exit

Nancy dell'Olio makes her 'Strictly' exit
Nancy dell'Olio makes her 'Strictly' exit

Nancy dell'Olio has become the latest casualty of Strictly Come Dancing 2011, having survived the bottom two for the past fortnight. The Italian siren and dance partner Anton du Beke had seen off competition from Dan Lobb and Rory Bremner in previous weeks, but their luck finally ran out when they found themselves up against Audley Harrison and Natalie Lowe in the danger zone on Sunday night. And this time it was Nancy's turn to go, after the combination of a low score from the judges - just 14 points - and the public votes left her in last place. Afterwards she described the experience as "full-on," and added, "I had a lot of fun. It was an incredible experience and I learned dancing - partly." Anton, meanwhile, paid a warm tribute to his celebrity partner, saying, "I tell you what I'm going to miss the most - I'm just going to miss Nancy. You are a superstar, you are absolutely lovely." Nancy's luck finally ran out after she performed a rumba on Saturday night's Halloween-themed show which received a scathing response from the judges. Alesha called her a "sexy woman but a walking disaster," while Len Goodman quipped, "There were moments of Mills and Boon and moments of meals on wheels." Ten contestants now remain in the competition, including favourites Jason Donovan and Harry Judd who were among those who sailed through to next week following the public vote. Lulu, Anita Dobson, Chelsee Healey, Robbie Savage, Holly Valance, Alex Jones and Russell Grant also made it through on Sunday's show, which also featured a special performance from boyband The Wanted.

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.