KEVIN Clifton and Susanna Reid have survived week eight of Strictly Come Dancing.
Despite being disappointed with their score of 31 for Saturday night's Cha Cha, the pair sailed through to next week.
It was the worst week for the couple, who have consistently scored highly and impressed the judges week after week.
Even Kevin's dad Keith Clifton, of Waltham, told the Telegraph that the score had worried him and wife Judy.
But they were first up, and it soon became clear that the judges were being tougher than usual - and the Waltham dancer and BBC Breakfast host scored fifth on the leader board.
Tonight, audiences said goodbye to rugby star Ben Cohen, who lost the dance off to actor Mark Benton - who was in the bottom two for the third time.
But Ben and partner Kristina Rihanoff failed to impress with their fun Charleston routine to a fast-paced version of Blackstreet's No Diggity, and head judge Len Goodman's casting vote sent them packing.
Keith said: "It was a very tough night for everyone on the show.
"The judges seem to have forgotten to take their happy pills.
"They were a lot stricter on the performances throughout the show, but as Kevin and Susanna were the first to the floor, seeing the score of 31 certainly gave them and us worry.
"Once we saw all the couples were getting similar, tough, lower scores, the fear eased back.
"The score left them in the middle of the table, which can be a dangerous place to be, but luckily they were kept safe with the public vote, something that I think is going to start playing a major role as the show progresses.
"We are now down to the best couples, the ones who all along have been tipped as favourites. Now one mistake could see any one of them in the dance-off.
"We just want to thank everyone for their continued support and we cannot wait until next week's show!"
