Strictly Come Dancing 2026 bosses have been issued a warning by fans following Chris Appleton’s elimination from the BBC show.
Chris and his professional partner Amy Dowden left the show after landing in the dance-off.
They faced Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu after the first public vote of the series.
Both couples performed their Movie Week routines again, but the judges unanimously chose to send Chris and Amy home.
Now, viewers have been discussing Chris’ exit and questioning whether the casting team got it right.
Strictly Come Dancing 2026’s fan warning after Chris Appleton elimination
Strictly fans took to Reddit after Strictly Come Dancing: The Results finished to discuss Chris’ departure.
Many quickly turned their attention to his casting on the BBC show.
The hairdresser joined the celebrity line-up because of his links to A list stars including Kim Kardashian and Ariana Grande. He also has a large social media following.
However, some viewers argued that he is not a ‘celebrity’ in the traditional sense.
One viewer wrote on Reddit: “Sad for Amy, but a lesson to the producers. You can’t just cast a random hairdresser and call him a celebrity. Of course he’d be in the dance off, literally no one knows who he is.”
Another added: “I can’t imagine he has a big fan base. I don’t know if he does content creation as well but I genuinely only know him because he was married to Lukas Gage.
“He seems to have famous mates in LA and does hair but I don’t know who he is otherwise.”
A third viewer agreed, writing: “I think you have to be a young person fully absorbed in social media to know who he is. I genuinely hadn’t a clue who he was before this.”
However, not everyone was convinced by the criticism.
Hitting back at the original poster, another viewer said: “I feel like you’re probably a different generation and don’t realise how famous he is, everyone knows him in my generation.
“He’s not just a hair stylist, he’s an influencer and has a huge social media following.”
Amy Dowden reacts to her Strictly elimination with Chris Appleton
Amy has now paid tribute to Chris following their early exit from Strictly Come Dancing.
The professional dancer promised her celebrity partner that he would be a “friend for life” after their time together on the BBC show.
“I honestly don’t think words can quite describe how proud I am of you,” Amy said on Instagram. “Seeing your Strictly journey come to an end is emotional, but what I’ll treasure most isn’t the result, it’s the friendship, memories and special moments we’ve shared along the way.
“I know unfortunately only too well heartbreak. But I also know that the reason it hurts so much is because of the friendship and bond we’ve formed and that’s something that isn’t going anywhere.”
She added: “Strictly may have brought us together as partners, but I truly believe it has given me a friend for life. Our dancing journey may have ended, but our friendship certainly hasn’t.”
Chris replied: “I love u Amy. Getting to know you was the greatest gift.
“Thank you for being more than I could have ever wished for in a dance partner because you became a friend for life.”
- Strictly Come Dancing continues at 6.15pm on BBC One on Saturday October 10, 2026.
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