Phil First to Waltz Off Dance Show ; The World Today

FORMER EastEnder Phil Daniels became the first celebrity to sashay out of the competition in BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing.

Daniels and his partner Flavia Cacace were voted off the reality dance show last night after their performance of a waltz.

The judges gave them just 20 points and the viewers’ votes failed to save them from making the bottom two in tonight’s league table of couples.

They faced a dance-off with Rising Damp star Don Warrington and his partner Lilia Kopylova.

Daniels played Jimmy in the cult film Quadrophenia but is perhaps best known to younger audiences as EastEnder Kevin Wicks.

Wicks came to a sticky end last year in a car crash.

Following the dance-off head judge Len Goodman was left with the casting vote between the two couples.

He said: “They both did make some mistakes and it is very difficult to judge between a waltz that needs so much control and a cha cha cha which needs so much rhythm.

“But for me the performance I’ve just seen – the cleanest one – was Don and Lilia”.

Daniels said after the vote: “It was a short ride.

It’s been fantastic – good fun”.

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