'It was that close to perfection': Strictly's Helen George reduced to tears as she matches Georgia May Foote's highest score of the series with magical Viennese Waltz
Last week in Blackpool, she was reduced to tears when Craig Revel Horwood tore apart her Charleston.
But fast forward seven days and Call The Midwife star Helen George was crying happy tears as she scored a near perfect 39 for her heavenly Viennese Waltz on Saturday night's Strictly Come Dancing.
The actress danced to the classic love tune At Last by Etta James with her pro partner Aljaž Škorjanec.
Emotional: Helen George shed some tears as she scored a near perfect 39 for her heavenly Viennese Waltz on Saturday night's Strictly Come Dancing
During rehearsals Helen admitted that she was embarrassed after she got emotional over Craig's criticisms last week, but she was determined to win him over and make partner Aljaz proud with this week's number.
And she certainly achieved her aim, winning a standing ovation from the audience and high praise from all four judges.
Craig gushed that the 'storytelling was absolutely excellent. I thought it was absolutely gorgeous.'
Heavenly: The Call The Midwife actress danced to the classic love tune At Last by Etta James with her pro partner Aljaž Škorjanec
Darcey Bussell meanwhile declared 'it was that close to perfection', adding that Helen is 'such a treasure to watch.'
Head judge Len Goodman broke out one of his trademark one-liners, yelling: 'Tickle my bum and call me Donald! Dancing is a marriage between music and movement. This was a match made in heaven.'
Bruno Tonioli agreed, telling Helen that he was 'absolutely charmed to the core, everything came together perfectly. This is your breakthrough dance.'
What a moment: The pair scored a standing ovation from the audience and high praise from all four judges
Wowed them: Darcey Bussell declared 'it was that close to perfection' while Bruno Tonioli agreed, telling Helen 'This is your breakthrough dance'
And the scores reflected the high praise with Darcey, Len and Bruno all scoring the duo a 10 while Craig awarded them a 9 for a total of 39.
As well as earning her a place at the top of this week's leaderboard, it was the joint top score of the series, matching Corrie star Georgia May Foote's 39 for her week eight Charleston.
The scores reduced Helen to tears as she struggled to reign in her emotions while talking to host Claudia Winkleman.
And the scores are in: The scores reflected the high praise with Darcey, Len and Bruno all scoring the duo a 10 while Craig awarded them a 9 for a total of 39
Tears: The scores reduced Helen to tears as she struggled to reign in her emotions while talking to host Claudia Winkleman
It was a night of high scores as The Wanted star Jay McGuiness also earned two tens for his Tango to Prince's When Doves Cry, for a total of 38.
Darcey was speechless after the hot number, before finally telling Jay and his partner Aliona: 'You were just working as one. It was superb. That was my favourite dance.'
Len added: 'You were like a chess master, you plotted your way around that floor. That was a mango of a tango, delicious!' while even hard-to-please Craig 'adored' the number.
Another favourite: It was a night of high scores as The Wanted star Jay McGuiness also earned two tens for his Tango to Prince's When Doves Cry, for a total of 38
But at the other end of the scale, viewers were quick to criticise the judges for their low scoring of Anita Rani's Rhumba, which earned her 31.
Len in particular tore apart the dance amid audience boos, telling the Countryfile star and her pro partner Gleb: 'I didn't enjoy it. You did a lift and you're not supposed to,' adding: 'What's all that through the legs business, where's all the lovely basic Rhumba?'
Opening the show was EastEnders star Kellie Bright, who scored her first ten last week in Blackpool after her Quickstep with Kevin Clifton
Disappointment: But at the other end of the scale, viewers were quick to criticise the judges for their low scoring of Anita Rani's Rhumba, which earned her 31
This week the star was challenged with a Salsa to Jackson 5 hit I Want You Back and despite her worries about the tricky lifts in Kevin's fast-paced routine, Kellie earned high praise with Len comparing the duo to 'two sizzling sausages on a barbecue,' adding that Kellie's bum was 'bionic.'
The dance earned Kellie and Kevin an impressive 34.
Katie Derham and Anton du Beke's Argentine Tango meanwhile scored 32, with the judges gushing over Anton's first ever performance of the tricky dance on the show.
Colourful performance: Opening the show were Kellie Bright and Kevin Clifton who performed a Salsa to Jackson 5 hit I Want You Back
Darcey told Katie: 'The improvement you made, the intent and the work I can see has gone in, while Len added that 'It was a fantastic dance.'
Peter Andre though placed last on Saturday's show and while the judges had some positive comments for him and partner Janette Manrara, they still found themselves at the bottom of the leaderboard with 31 points after their American Smooth.
Darcey said: 'It had charm with an impressive one-handed lift but looked careful in places', while Bruno Tonioli added: 'Shoulders came up and lost the mood, otherwise great.'
Steamy: Katie Derham and Anton du Beke's Argentine Tango meanwhile scored 32, with the judges gushing over Anton's first ever performance of the tricky dance on the show
Despite the largely positive comments, the pair once again found themselves in trouble, just one week after they faced the dance off.
Georgia May Foote closed the show with a Paso Doble to Europe’s The Final Countdown with her partner Giovanni Pernice.
The cheers didn't stop for the popular pair, one week after their triumphed in Blackpool. Craig called the routine 'dynamic' while Darcey added that there was 'plenty of drama and energy.' Len though told the actress: 'There was a little bit too much dress wafting for me. To a point it got a little bit too aggressive.'
At the bottom: Peter Andre placed last on Saturday's show with 31 points for his American Smooth
The pair earned a total score of 33 for the dance.
The seven remaining couples were tasked with an extra challenge this week as they took to the floor at the same time for the show's first ever quickstep-a-thon.
Mirroring traditional dance competitions, the couples all performed the quickstep at once around the ballroom as the judges eliminated them one by one.
One point was awarded to the first couple to be eliminated, which were Peter and Janette and seven given to the last pair standing, Helen and Aljaz.
Wow factor: Georgia May Foote closed the show with a Paso Doble to Europe’s The Final Countdown with her partner Giovanni Pernice
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3337713/It-close-perfection-Strictly-s-Helen-George-reduced-tears-matches-Georgia-Foote-s-highest-score-series-magical-Viennese-Waltz.html#ixzz3spQ5r9YB
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