Ahead of this weekend’s first Strictly Come Dancing elimination, Shaun Wright-Phillips is predicted to be the first eliminated from the 2026 series.
The footballer made his performance debut on the show last Saturday (September 26). Partnered with pro dancer Alexis Warr, the pair performed a Cha-Cha to Paul Russell’s Lil Boo Thang.
On the leaderboard, they placed at the bottom with a score of 15, alongside Sarah Story and Julian Caillon and Melanie Walters and Aljaz Skorjanec.
Shaun Wright-Phillips tipped to be the first Strictly Come Dancing 2026 eliminated contestant
According to Betway’s Lewis Knowles, “The odds are stacked against Shaun Wright-Phillips as he’s tipped at 5/6 to be the first star axed from this year’s series.”
They predict that Sarah will join him in the dance-off, who follows at 2/1. Meanwhile, Melanie Walters is also in the mix at 5/1.
“Chris Appleton is priced at 7/1, with Jaime Winstone a bigger-priced 20/1 shot, while Will Best and Tabby Stoecker are further down the market at 33/1 and 40/1 respectively,” Lewis continued.
“With such tough competition stacked against him, Shaun will need to pull a real show-stopping performance out of the bag if he’s to dance his way to safety. But with the odds firmly pointing towards trouble, it could be that his time on the Strictly dancefloor is finally coming to an end.”
This is the second blow for the former football star. Previously, he was predicted to be the first axed from the show ahead of the show’s launch.
‘I just hope I don’t have to wear anything outrageous’
Ahead of the series, Shaun spoke to The Sun about why he wanted to join the BBC dancing competition.
“I wanted to learn something new,” he admitted.
“I did a cooking show for a similar reason. Don’t get me wrong, I’m really nervous – it’s out of my comfort zone.
“I know the hard work the dancers put into it but I’m excited for the journey and want to come out of it as a ballroom dancer.”
In the same interview, Shaun admitted he had some concerns surrounding wardrobe on the show.
“I’ve already said I can’t put any red on. And I just hope I don’t have to wear anything outrageous,” he said.
“I’m not sure about sparkles. People ask me about the open shirts and I’m telling them my belly is not right for that.”
Read more: Brendan Cole reveals he’s a ‘bitter old pro’ as he criticises 2026 Strictly lineup
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