BBC Strictly Come Dancing star dealt crushing blow hours before Blackpool week

Strictly Come Dancing's Wynne Evans and his partner Katya Jones have been dealt a devastating blow just hours from Blackpool week.

The duo, fresh from their dance-off scare last Sunday, are now tipped for elimination this weekend, the bookies have predicted.

Betway's Mike Reading stated: "We're at the halfway point of the series and as the couples pack their bags and head up to Blackpool, the latest odds suggest Wynne Evans might be waltzing his way out of the competition this Sunday."

He voiced that Wynne is marked as the favourite to leave, but noted: "Wynne is the odds-on favourite to go this weekend, but he may find a lifeline in Pete Wicks, who comes next in the elimination odds. Pete will need to dazzle the judges with his Cha Cha to I'm Too Sexy by Right Said Fred if he wants to stay in the competition!"

On the topic of potential winners, he disclosed: "Meanwhile, Chris McCausland and his pro partner Dianne Buswell stole hearts last Saturday with a moving Couple's Choice routine. With that performance, Chris solidified his position as the odds-on favourite to take home the Glitterball Trophy," reports Wales Online.

"Still, Miranda star Sarah Hadland isn't out of the running just yet-she's got strong support from punters and will be hoping to close the gap on Chris with her Couple's Choice routine to Kylie Minogue's Padam Padam this week."

In a surprise development earlier this week, Wynne and Katya were unexpectedly replaced by Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell on It Takes Two.

Janette Manrara, the host, commented on the unexpected lineup change: "If you've got any questions like, 'Why are Chris and Dianne on when yesterday we said it was going to be Wynne and Katya? ' It's live TV, guys. You've got to roll with it, alright? Just roll with it."

The following day, Wynne posted a picture from Blackpool Tower without explaining his absence from the Strictly spin-off.

In last weekend's episode, Shayne Ward was eliminated after finding himself in the bottom two alongside Wynne.

The judges were divided, leaving the final decision in the hands of head judge Shirley Ballas, which sparked an outcry among fans as she elected to save Wynne.

Upon their exit, Nancy expressed her sentiments during an appearance on It Takes Two with Fleur East, saying: "This year, I've found all the contestants, between all of them, they have a really strong connection."

She continued to reflect on the dynamic of the group, noting the mutual support and camaraderie, before confessing, "Friendship and they supported each other week by week and day by day. So I can't describe the feeling but I was gutted."

Shayne added his own thoughts: "I think just watching that, I'm going to miss it. I'm going to miss Nancy so much. It's amazing just to see how far we've come together and how she was able to turn these two left feet into one left and one right!"

Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturday at 6.45pm on BBC Two.