(Image: PA)
BBC Strictly Come Dancing star's sweet hidden gesture 'uncovered' in Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe support
by Jessica Sansome · Manchester Evening NewsStrictly Come Dancing star Sam Quek is said to have displayed a sweet hidden gesture to Montell Douglas after she lost out to her in the latest dance-off.
The Olympic hockey star became the sixth celebrity to leave the BBC One dance contest over the weekend. She was voted out following week seven of the 2024 series after landing in the dreaded dance-off on Sunday night (November 3) alongside professional dance partner Nikita Kuzmin.
Both couples had to reprise their routines from the first-ever 'Icons Week' on Saturday night (November 2) again, with Sam and Nikita dancing an American smooth to Taylor Swift’s Love Story while Montell and Johannes re-performed their waltz to I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston.
After reperforming their routines, all four judges - Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke - all agreed unanimously to save Montell and Johannes, therefore making Sam and Nikita the latest to exit the competition.
A body language expert has now given his verdict on Sam and Nikita's reaction to leaving Strictly and says she 'knew it was the right time to leave'. Speaking on behalf of Betfair Casino, Darren Stanton says Sam 'put on a brave face' as she awaited the verdict, but showed 'signs of fear and nervousness' after her final dance.
He said: "As Sam was waiting for the verdict, she was trying to put a brave face on, but I think she knew in her heart she would be the one to go, there were signs of fear and nervousness. I feel in her heart, she knew it was the right decision. We do see sadness from Sam when the results are announced.
"She didn’t cry but she did show micro-expressions of sadness. I think she is genuinely upset to be out of the competition. What I noticed was she hasn’t been upset to the extent of some of the others. I think she felt it was the right time to go, she knows she has given her all and done her best. We didn’t see a real outpouring of emotion, but we can certainly hear sadness in her voice."
He went on to add that while Sam was ‘genuinely upset’ to leave, she did not show the same level of emotion as some of the other contestants who have been sent home already.
Darren also claimed Sam and Nikita showed a dip in their connection in the last couple of weeks, with a lack of ‘matching and mirroring’ in their non-verbal communication and noted that Sam sweetly showed her support via a ‘side glance’ to Montell and Johannes, who made it through to week eight of the hit dance competition.
He explained: "While Sam was waiting for the third vote, she gave Montell and Johannes a side glance, as if to say, ‘You’ve got this in the bag’. It’s an interesting gesture, it’s not one of sadness, it’s quite a humble gesture. We don’t see frustration or sadness from her, it’s a happy moment, she almost shows an expression of relief."