Strictly judge Shirley Ballas was in tears and needed ‘consoling’ after controversial elimination

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Key Points summary__ai-icon Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas was deeply affected by Lewis Cope’s shock elimination, breaking down in tears Lewis and his partner Katya were eliminated after an incredibly close dance-off, stunning fans and sparking controversy Shirley admitted she struggled with the decision, revealing sleepless nights and emotional moments with fellow judges Created with AI assistance. Quality assured by Metro editors. Strictly Come Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas has said was ‘in tears’ over the shock elimination of Lewis Cope from the BBC competition during the quarter final. Considered a front-runner and favourite, the Emmerdale star and his professional partner Katya Jones ended up in the bottom two alongside Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin – who came top of the leaderboard – during Sunday night’s Musicals Week results show. Their salsa, which they performed to Dance at the Gym from West Side Story, received 35 points from the judges, placing them in joint second place with George Clarke and Alexis Warr and Balvinder Sopal and Julian Caillon. But it sadly wasn’t enough to secure them a spot in the semi-final, with Shirely and fellow judges Craig Revel Horwood, Anton Du Beke and Motsi Mabuse opting to save Amber and Nikita instead after they faced each other in the dreaded dance-off. Get personalised updates on Strictly Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro’s TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we’ll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. But Shirley has now revealed the impact such a tough call had on her, with all the judges reduced to tears. Answering a question from a fan about if it was the hardest dance off to decide of the series so far, Shirley revealed: ‘I was crying, Motsi was crying, we went upstairs – both the boys also. To see two such fantastic dancers in the bottom two was heart wrenching. Normally I can do it but for some reason last week it was quite difficult.’ Strictly’s head judge, Shirley Ballas, revealed all the judges were in tears after the last dance-off, with her and Motsi Mabuse consoling one another (Picture: BBC) Lewis Cope and Katya Jones were strong contenders in the competition, with their elimination causing outrage (Picture: BBC) Talking to host Fleur East on companion show It Takes Two on Friday night she added: ‘And lots of tears with Motsi and I, we were consoling each other.’ The 65-year-old former Latin champion also revealed the result had kept her up at night too. When asked by Fleur if she was excited, with the semi-final less than 24 hours away, Shirely responded: ‘Well I didn’t sleep yesterday, I didn’t sleep when Lewis got eliminated. I probably won’t sleep tonight because everything is… you never know where the show is going to go now at the moment, it’s not set, it could be anyone who goes home and anyone who can win.’ Fans had been stunned to see Lewis, 30, and 36-year-old Katya sent home, and Lewis admitted himself that it would take ‘time to get over’ his painful surprise elimination. Dance expert Shirley also revealed she hadn’t been able to sleep (Picture: BBC) Lewis and Katya ended up in the bottom two after tying in second place with two other couples and scoring only one point above bottom place (Picture: Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire) Katya also broke down in tears on It Takes Two on Monday after seemingly blaming herself for their premature exit. ‘Looking back, I can’t help but to think oh maybe I could have done things differently to make it work for him better…’ Who do you think should win Strictly Come Dancing? George Clarke and Alexis WarrCheck Karen Carney and Carlos GuCheck Amber Davies and Nikita KuzminCheck Balvinder Sopal and Julian CaillonCheck Want to get bespoke updates on the TV shows you love? Sign up to Metro's TV newsletters and tell us which ones you can't get enough of Lewis then insisted that she ‘did everything perfect’ before Katya continued: ‘But he can only do what I asked him to do, and whatever I asked him to do, he didn’t do just this time but every single day. Love Island’s Chyna accuses Strictly fiance Neil Jones’ family of ‘racism and bullying' Strictly's Katya Jones has a right to be upset – she deserves better Strictly's Amber Davies says she was 'never supposed to be here' after dance-off backlash Of their strong performances – the couple topped the leaderboard twice – Katya added: ‘And we were in a tough position. I feel like we were expected to deliver these almost perfect showstopping routines every single Saturday – which you did! I don’t know how, but you did.’ To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The soap star’s departure has left some fans raging, with El on X writing: ‘Lewis and Katya, you take the spot of the most robbed couple in the history of this show.’ Kellie also despaired, posting: ‘The thought of losing lewis and katya before seeing their argentine tango, american smooth and showdance is making me nauseous and ill.’ Strictly Come Dancing returns on BBC One next Saturday at 6.35pm. Got a story? If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you. 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