Tess Daly halts BBC Strictly Come Dancing to deliver 'breaking news' to Chris McCausland

BBC Strictly Come Dancing was halted by presenter Tess Daly just minutes into the Blackpool special tonight. Tess was back on the show live from Blackpool Tower Ballroom on Saturday, November 16, alongside Claudia Winkleman, her BBC co-star.

During the show, Tess had a special announcement for Chris McCausland and his dance partner Dianne Buswell. At the end of the dance, which featured six professional dancers alongside them, Tess said to Chris: "I know, you're happy with that Chris, rightly so.

"So well done. And I have a lovely little fact for you - you are our 100th Strictly couple to perform here in the Tower Ballroom." During the show, actress Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola’s couple’s choice routine to Padam Padam by Kylie Minogue was described by judge Craig Revel Horwood as “a little too perfect”.

READ MORE Premier Inn customers furious over change to hotel bars that's 'needless'

Horwood told them he knew “it sounds weird”, but felt that Hadland lacked emotion, which he felt “brought you out” of the performance at moments. Judge Motsi Mabuse said it was not a comment she had heard before, and that the couple had “smashed Blackpool”.

The judges gave them a near-perfect score of 39 points. Reality star Pete Wicks danced a cha cha to I’m Too Sexy by Right Said Fred. He pretended to be a train inspector before tearing off his jacket to reveal a pink shirt and trousers.

At one point he lay on top of the other dancers and later danced with his back to the audience. He finished the routine wearing a pink fluffy jacket. Judge Shirley Ballas called the performance, with professional Jowita Przystal, “very entertaining, I don’t think I’ll forget this evening for as long as I live”, and praised the “good isolation, clean neckline”.

Motsi Mabuse told Wicks she “loved it for all the wrong reasons”, and “wished the dancing had supported it”. The couple received 27 points.