EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick almost received a perfect score on the Strictly Come Dancing leaderboard with his matador-inspired paso doble routine.
Dressed in black and white as a bullfighter while performing to the flamenco song Malaguena by Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona, he was awarded 39 points by the judges on the BBC One show.
Craig Revel Horwood had a rare moment of praise for Borthwick and his partner Michelle Tsiakkas, while Anton Du Beke said “you will never dance a better dance than that, you were brilliant”.
Borthwick and Tsiakkas are joint high scorers of the series so far along with Love Island star Tasha Ghouri and professional partner Aljaz Skorjanec, who were given 39 points last week.
Elsewhere, Morning Live doctor Punam Krishan and Strictly professional Gorka Marquez look like they could be in trouble after being awarded 21 points for an emotional and romantic Viennese waltz routine to She’s Always A Woman To Me by US singer Billy Joel.
Judge Motsi Mabuse said she “loved the wedding vibe, it was romantic and vulnerable”, but Revel Horwood said the routine “lacked musicality, it lacked energy in the body”.
JLS star JB Gill and Amy Dowden opened the show for the first time, and were given 30 points for their jive routine to Outkast’s Hey Ya!, while comedian Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell’s waltz to You’ll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the Pacemakers saw them receive 35 points.
Presenter Claudia Winkleman said it was their “highest score”.
