TV presenter AJ Odudu, 33, and dance partner Kai Widdrington, 26, wowed judge Craig Revel Horwood with their American Smooth to I Have Nothing by Whitney Houston, from The Bodyguard.
He said: “For someone that has never danced before, that was absolutely incredible.”
An emotional AJ, who scored 35, said: “I had a lot of self-doubt this week, I just wanted to execute it well and not let anybody down.”
Bouncing back from last week’s dance-off, soap star Katie McGlynn, 28, channelled Cruella deVil from 101 Dalmatians when she performed the American Smooth with partner Gorka Marquez, 31, as a dog.
Judge Motsi Mabuse said it had been fun to watch as they scored 24. Katie, now starring in Hollyoaks after a stint in Coronation Street, said her nerves had been “sky high” after learning actress Emma Thompson, who was in this year’s Cruella remake of the animated classic, was in the audience but added: “I just wanted to do the film justice.”
Emma was in the studio to watch husband Greg Wise, 55, and partner Karen Hauer, 39, dance the Paso Doble to the James Bond theme, scoring 26.
Before the performance Emma, 62, said: “I don’t think of him as a natural dancer, he’s very good with a chainsaw.”
Comedian and presenter Judi Love, 41, scored 24 with Graziano Di Prima, 27, for a Charleston to When You’re Good To Mama by Queen Latifah and Taye Diggs, from Chicago. Star baker John Whaite, 32, and Johannes Radebe, 34, topped the leaderboard with 39 points for a Paso Doble to He’s A Pirate from Pirates Of The Caribbean.
But Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty, 26, and Katya Jones, 32, were bottom on 20.