Kevin Clifton and Susanna Reid cha cha their way into next week's Strictly

WALTHAM'S Kevin Clifton and celebrity dance partner Susanna Reid have cha cha'd their way into next week's Strictly Come Dancing.

The couple faced a tough night receiving a modest score of 31 points after being the first on the dance floor on Saturday's show.

The low score gave the couple cause for concern until similarly harsh scores were given by the judges to the other couples, leaving them in fifth place overall.

Head judge Len Goodman told the couple that the judges would not be letting minor mistakes slip by as they have in previous shows.

Awarding them an eight, he said: "There was some good leg action but it was not sharp and crisp enough. It was an acceptable performance but not the best."

Awarding another eight was Bruno Tonioli, who said the couple had a good start but it was not as good as it could have been – a feeling echoed by fellow judge Darcey Bussell, who said: "It was just not yours tonight."

Also picking up on the movement of the pair, Craig Revel Horwood, who awarded them a seven, called Susanna's performance "a little bit too mumsy".

Susanna, a mother of two, responded saying: "I don't think there is anything wrong with being mumsy!"

The audience did not agree with the comments of the judges, with many taking to Twitter and branding the judges too strict, while praising Kevin and Susanna's performance.

But it was rugby star Ben Cohen who became the eighth celebrity to be voted off – losing out to actor Mark Benton, who survived his third dance-off.

Afterwards, Kevin's dad Keith Clifton told the Grimsby Telegraph: "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!"