Bobby Brazier hit with bad news days before BBC Strictly Come Dancing final

There has been bad news for Bobby Brazier ahead of the Strictly Come Dancing final this weekend, as bookies predict he’s set to lose out on the coveted Glitterball Trophy to a rival contestant.

The EastEnders star had been favourite to win the BBC reality series for weeks, scoring consistently high alongside partner Dianne Buswell with his impressive footwork and entertaining stage presence. However, after landing in the Bottom Two alongside Annabel Croft and Johannes Radebe on Sunday, Bobby’s chances of being crowned a Strictly winner seem to be dwindling. The one to watch now is apparently Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola, who have now been tipped for victory after a knockout season.

“All the signs are pointing towards a comfortable night for Ellie this weekend… she’s headed the betting for some time now, and anything other than a win for the Corrie star would be considered a major upset at this point,” Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said. The odds for Ellie Leach are currently 1/10, while it’s 8/1 for Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin. Least likely to win, according to the bookies, is Bobby Brazier, who is standing at odds of 16/1.

Not everyone believes that the 20-year-old will be unsuccessful this weekend, however. Many Strictly fans have accused the judges of favouritism towards Bobby, after he received a 38 for his Quickstep routine to Mack the Knife on Saturday. Not everyone agreed that he deserved the lofty score, however, with many taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their objections.

“I’d forgotten how overmarked Bobby’s quickstep was and now I’m mad again,” one person raged, while another said, “So everyone undermarked except Bobby who was overmarked. Hmm….”

A third person questioned the experts’ raving feedback, writing, “Are the judges ok bobby was overmarked there is no way that deserved 10s and was the best quickstep of the series, i [sic] don’t think it was the best of the series but it was definitely better than i was expecting so fair play to him.”

For next week’s final, the contestants will perform three dances; one selected by the judges, one chosen by the couple themselves and a third ‘showdance’. Bobby and Dianne will be dancing their Romeo & Juliet-inspired Samba to Young Hearts Run Free once again, after the routine earned them a solid 32 from the judges the first time around. As for the Couple’s Choice dance, the talented soap star will be dancing to This Woman’s Work, which was first performed as a tribute to his late mum, Jade Goody. Finally, Bobby’s last routine, the showdance, will feature a medley of songs from the La La Land soundtrack.