Bobby Brazier has suffered a setback only days before the final of Strictly Come Dancing.
The EastEnders actor was a clear contender before the 2023 cast even did their first dance, which he was not fully happy with, remarking: ‘We haven’t even begun yet’ when questioned about it on This Morning.
It’s a good thing he didn’t let it go to his head, since his chances have drastically changed.
He’s been in the dance-off twice with partner Dianne Buswell, most recently in Saturday’s semi-finals against Annabel Croft and Johannes Radebe, and now bookies believe he’s the least likely of the final three couples to win.
According to Ladbrokes, he is presently 12/1 to win the glitterball trophy, while his challengers Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola are 1/9.
Layton Williams, 29, and Nikita Kuzmin, 26, are the only pair with a perfect 40 on the dance floor and are the second favourites at 8/1.
Bobby, 20, will be trying to turn his luck around by channeling his inner Ryan Gosling with a Showdance to La La Land’s soundtrack. He’ll also be bringing back his Romeo and Juliet themed Samba, and his tribute to his late mum Jade Goody performed to Maxwell’s This Woman’s Work for a second outing.
Despite a strong lineup of dances, Alex Apati from Ladbrokes said: ‘Anything other than an Ellie Leach win next weekend would be a complete miracle as far as the odds are concerned.’
‘We’ll likely look back on this series and say Bobby peaked too soon in the competition. Leading from the offset and going all the way is something only a handful of stars have managed to do over the years… it looks like Bobby’s race has very much been run,’ he said.
Bobby was placed as the 7/2 favourite to win the series and continued to dominate the betting – for a little period, he was joined at the top of the betting by Nigel Harman and Katya Jones. Due to injuries, the duo had to withdraw from the competition. Bobby was as low as 7/4 to win the series at one point, but things changed in week seven, when he fell to fifth place on the list.
Alex added: ‘Ellie, on the other hand, peaked just at the right time and, coupled with a potential love story playing out, fans and punters are convinced this year’s Glitterball Trophy has her name on it.’
Whatever the outcome, Bobby may be pleased of himself for making it to the last week of the season.
One individual who is overjoyed with his efforts is partner Dianne, 34, who praised him in a recent Instagram post.
She wrote: ‘Looking back I couldn’t be prouder of all the dances we have performed! You all see the glitz and glam of the Saturday nights polished performance but what you don’t see and what is actually my favourite part of all of it is seeing the struggles on a Monday.
‘It just shows me that with hard work perseverance and determination ANYTHING can be possible,’ she concluded.
Ellie, 22, and Vito, 31, are particularly impressive coming into the final event on Saturday since they have never competed in a dance-off.
This puts them in excellent company, since 75% of past show winners have never had to perform on the Sunday results show to save their lives. In reality, the winning couples have all been part of the illusive no dance-off to winners storyline for the previous six series.
Joe McFadden and Katya Jones, Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton, Bill Bailey and Oti Mabuse, Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice, and Hamza Yassin and Jowita Przysta have all contributed to the streak, which Ellie and Vito want to maintain.
To paraphrase the Hunger Games: Strictly Come Dancing finals, may the odds be ever in your favour.
The Strictly Come Dancing final airs Saturday at 7pm on BBC One
Source My Celebrity Life.