Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today.
Join today
Already a member?
Log in
Strictly Come Dancing’s results show will pay tribute to Madonna and Dolly Parton as part of icons week.
The results show on Sunday will feature a special routine from the dancers inspired by the many different eras of Madonna’s career.
Country singer Belles, who recorded a duet with Parton earlier this year, will perform her hit Jolene, accompanied by dancers Amy Dowden and Kai Widdrington.
Parton, widely recognised as one of the most successful country stars of all time, died of cancer in August at the age of 80.
On Saturday’s main show, Bethany Antonia and dance partner Nancy Xu will perform the cha cha to Respect by Aretha Franklin. Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin will dance the rumba to Hero by Mariah Carey, while Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu perform the paso doble to Let’s Dance by David Bowie.
EastEnders star Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola will perform the American smooth to Adele’s Hometown Glory, while Dame Sarah Storey and Julian Caillon will dance the tango to That Don’t Impress Me Much by Shania Twain.
Olympian Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita will perform the samba to Where Is My Husband! by Raye and Love Island’s Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby will foxtrot to Theme From New York, New York by Frank Sinatra.
Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly trainer Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley will salsa to an Abba medley, while social media personality John Nellis and Katya Jones will perform the paso doble to It’s My Life by Bon Jovi.
Emmerdale’s Lawrence Robb and Jowita Przystal will salsa to La Copa De La Vida by Ricky Martin, while Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr perform a couple’s choice to a James Brown medley.
Watch Apple TV free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial.
Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Finishing off this week’s lineup of dances, Big Brother presenter Will Best – who announced the birth of his first child this week – and Dianne Buswell will perform a jive to Crocodile Rock by Elton John.
It was announced this week that Delta Goodrem is injured and has received a bye through to next week, where it is hoped she and Kai Widdrington will be able to dance again.
Gavin And Stacey actress Melanie Walters and Aljaz Skorjanec were the latest couple eliminated from the show last week.
Saturday will be the first Strictly show since BBC were forced to respond to criticism after blurring out a t-shirt worn by Strictly Come Dancing star Bethany Antonia urging people to protect transgender women.
Before Antonia and Nancy Xu’s performance, a montage of the pair in rehearsals showed Antonia dancing in a white t-shirt that, in some footage from the side, could be seen to bear the words “Protect The Dolls”, a slogan referencing the need to protect trans women.
While the term “dolls” originates from the ballroom scene of the 1980s, “Protect the Dolls” was popularised in 2025 after designer Conner Ives produced a white t-shirt with the slogan – with the proceeds going to US charity Trans Lifeline.
However, when Antonia was filmed front on, the words had been blurred out.
The editing was quickly noticed by Strictly viewers, who flooded the Instagram comment section beneath Antonia and Xu’s dance with the words.
In response, a BBC spokesperson told The Independent: “As is standard practice on any entertainment show on the BBC and in line with our editorial guidelines, appropriate steps are taken to reduce the inclusion of any overt branding or slogans that may be present, regardless of the wording or statement in question.”
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday at 6.15pm and the results show airs on Sunday at 7.20pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.