BBC Strictly Come Dancing’s Zara McDermott on why she refuses to be ‘ashamed’ of Love Island

Zara McDermott has thrown herself back into work as she distracts herself from her Strictly Come Dancing axe. The former Love Island star became the fifth celebrity contestant to be eliminated from the BBC One contest last weekend following the epic Halloween special.

Ellie Leach has been stunning the judges on Strictly Come Dancing so far, and it looks like she and partner Vito Coppola could be strong contenders for the Glitterball trophy.The actress, 22, is one of the nine celebrities remaining on this year's Strictly, following five eliminations - Zara McDermott, Eddie Kadi, Jody Cundy, Nikita Kanda and Les Dennis all been voted off - and Amanda Abbington's decision to exit the show. Ellie found fame on Coronation Street when she was just 10 years old and she remained on the ITV soap up until earlier this year, when she decided to leave her role as Faye Windass in a bid to pursue other opportunities.

The couples are whittling down fast as the battle for the Glitterball trophy continues on Strictly Come Dancing The nine remaining celebrity contestants and their professional dance partners will return to the ballroom on Saturday night (November 4) but will there be early fireworks?

Strictly Come Dancing star Adam Thomas has spoken of having to perform in last weekend's dance-off.

Adam Thomas has given fans a fresh update on his Strictly Come Dancing progress after missing training yesterday (Oct 31). The actor, who recently reprised his role as Donte Charles in BBC's reboot of Waterloo Road, landed a spot in the dance-off during Halloween week.

A Strictly Come Dancing favourite is set to be eliminated in just 'weeks', according to a dance expert. The nine remaining celebrity couples will return to the ballroom this weekend as the BBC One dance contest reaches week seven.

Many Strictly Come Dancing viewers were left asking 'who' before saying it took them 'ages' to recognise one of the show's professional dancers. The confusion came during the latest results show which aired on Sunday night (October 30).

Strictly Come Dancing star Zara McDermott said she 'can't stop crying' as she broke her silence on her exit from the competition. The documentary maker, who made history as the first Love Island star to take part in the show, was voted out of the contest on Sunday night (October 29).

A fifth celebrity has been eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing after a dance-off which one judge said featured “fighting spirit” from both couples.

It's set to be a spooktacular Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday night as the remaining contestants get ready for Halloween week.

Strictly Come Dancing star Layton Williams has said he deserves to be on the show after speaking out about the criticism from some viewers about his involvement in the competition.

Strictly Come Dancing star Zara McDermott had to cut her dance rehearsals short following a medical emergency.

Strictly Come Dancing star Zara McDermott was forced to leave rehearsals early as she rushed to hospital after learning her boyfriend required medical attention over concerns about his kidneys.

Strictly Come Dancing stars have sent their best wishes to Amanda Abbington after she revealed why she left the competition.

Strictly Come Dancing Come Dancing's Halloween special is just around the corner following another epic weekend in the ballroom. Eleven of the 12 remaining couples competed in week five of the BBC One dance contest on Saturday night with Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice's absence noted.

Strictly Come Dancing's Zara McDermott has told fans she 'let herself down' after ending up in the dance-off for the second time. The BBC dance contest returned this weekend for its fifth week which saw 11 of the 12 remaining couples take to the ballroom to compete for their spot on the show.

This weekend, Eddie Kadi became the fourth contestant to leave Strictly Come Dancing after he faced off Zara McDermott in the dance off. The tense dance off saw both couples performing their routines for a second time.

Strictly Come Dancing fans have been left irritated after spoilers supposedly revealing the pairing set to leave the competition this week were leaked

We're nearing the halfway mark of the competition already so we're hoping for another spectacular night of dances on Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday night. Week five of the BBC One dance contest will see the 12 remaining couples return to the ballroom.

Strictly Come Dancing professional Graziano Di Prima has opened up about his family back in Italy, revealing that they've only watched the live show once in the five years he's been in the cast. The 29-year-old made his debut in series 16 alongside radio presenter Vick Hope and has since been partnered with Judi Love, Kym Marsh and this year's Zara McDermott.