The leader of the pack: Pixie Lott soars to top of Strictly's scoreboard as she wows judges with her 'gorgeous' waltz
Despite being forced to fit in her rehearsals around a hectic schedule, Pixie Lott waltzed her way to the top of the scoreboard during Saturday night's episode of Strictly Come Dancing.
The singer was forced to perfect her fancy footwork in bits and starts in the days preceding her big moment - even practising backstage during an appearance on Allan Carr's Chatty Man show.
But her efforts paid off, as her waltz with dance parter Trent Whiddon earned her an impressive 35 out of a possible 40, tying her at the top with EastEnders star Jake Wood.
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Top girl: Pixie Lott and her professional partner Trent Whiddon landed at the top of the scoreboard on Saturday's episode of Strictly Come Dancing
Wearing a roped silver bralet with a peach-and-white floaty layered skirt, the star looked glamorous as she gracefully danced to Norah Jones' Come Away With Me.
The audience cheered and applauded as the routine ended with Trent tenderly wrapping a pink shawl around Pixie's shoulders.
Judge Len Goodman led the glowing assessments, dubbing her 'beautifully danced' routine 'gorgeous'.
Elegant: The singer wowed the audience as she performed the waltz in a dazzling roped bralet
A normally harsh Craig Revel Horwood added: 'I think you guys make a fantastic partnership. That was a beautiful beautiful dance.'
Visibly pleased with her performance, Pixie, who wore her hair in a glamorous updo with a glittering silver headband, said: 'I just really enjoyed that. I was in the moment.'
And the 'moment' continued on in a positive light as she grabbed a top spot on the board.
Stylish: The blonde beauty's moves were accentuated with her choice of floaty peach-and-white skirt
Rugby hunk Thom Evans was the first performer on the night, performing the salsa to Arrow's enduring calypso hit Hot Hot Hot with his partner Iveta Lukosiute.
An impressed Len roared: 'You were popping like buttons on a tight shirt... You danced right on the edge!'
Fellow judge Darcy Bussell gushed: 'I was wishing you were directing those shimmies at me!'
With the other judges offering some guidance on how Thom could perfect his moves in the future, he walked away with a respectable score of 25.
It's a wrap: Her dance partner wrapped her in a pink shawl at the end of their performance
Next up was Jennifer Ginbey, who scored just 19 as she waltzed to Aretha Franklin's (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.
Earning only a point more than the previous week, the Irish actress was mostly criticsed by the judges for her poor posture.
Singer Simon Webbe got a little extra support from his 17-year-old daughter Alanah, when she stopped by during rehearsals to give him a few pointers on his moves.
Happy Days: Frankie Sandford won over judges with her fusion Charleston performance
Getting into character: The newlywed planted a big kiss on the cheek of her dance partner Kevin Clifton
And things appeared to pay off, when he impressed judges and the audience like while performing an intense tango with partner Kristina Rihanoff to Ed Sheeran's hit Sing.
The Blue star, whose mother was in the audience to support him, scored a total of 26.
TV chef Gregg Wallace perfromed the first Charleston of the series with his partner and Aliona Vilani.
Dressed in chef whites for his fun routine - which ended with him smashing his face into a cream cake - he scored a relatively low 18.
Bad move: Judy Murray suffered another underwhelming week, as her cha cha cha failed to impress
Low score: The mother of tennis ace Andy Murray scraped a score of just 17
Judge Bruno quipped: 'That was a lovely fluffy éclair, but you overloaded on the toppings.'
This Morning's Alison Hammond became the boss in her foxtrot routine with partner Aljaž Skorjanec, who portrayed her personal assistant as they grooved to Etta James' I Just Want To Make Love To You.
'Darling, those hip swings created a sonic boom,' remarked judge Craig, who led the pack in awarding the bubbly Birmingham native a total score of 22.
Hotstepper: Mark Wright and partner Karen Hauer impressed judges with their American Smooth
Announcement: The former TOWIE star joked that he's banning fiancée Michelle Keegan from the audience
EastEnders star Jake Wood - whose co-star Adam Woodyatt was in the audience supporting him - enjoyed a second successful week, when he turned out a stunning salsa routine to Lou Bega's Mambo No. 5.
His performance with Janette Manrara brought judges Darcy and Bruno to their feet, with a near-speechless Len remarking: 'Spank me gently with a wet shammy... Fantastic!'
The routine also landed Jake at the top of the scoreboard with Pixie, after judges awarded him a score of 35.
Supportive pals: Adam Woodyatt, left, and Olly Murrs, right, sat on either side of co-host Tess Daly as they supported colleagues Jake Wood and Caroline Flack respetively
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