Chris McCausland makes history ahead of BBC Strictly finale as new details emerge
Strictly Come Dancing finalist Chris McCausland has made it to the final of the series, but new details suggest he has made history in more ways than one.
Comedian McCausland, 47, remains the favourite to win after sailing through the competition, but it seems his popularity is unmatched.
Partnered with Dianne Buswell, McCausland has remained a firm favourite after initially making history as the show’s first blind contestant.
He’s managed to consistently impress the judges and viewers, and new statistics have revealed he has managed to achieve unheard of promise to win the show.
With odds of 1/20 and a 95 percent probability of a victory, betting company Betfred have labelled him as the shortest-priced Strictly frontrunner in the market’s history.
Elsewhere, it seems JLS star JB Gill, partnered with Lauren Oakley, has made a dramatic U-turn.
While he was tipped to leave last week, he’s now expected to finish as runner-up, surging ahead in the betting markets at 1/16.
The odds will come as bad news for Sarah Hadland, who had been holding onto her runner-up spot until now, having slipping to 25/1.
However, the actress is still predicted to finish within the top three.
This leaves remaining finalist Tasha Ghouri in a tenuous position as she risks missing out on a top three spot altogether.
The former Love Island star has current odds of 33/1, making her least likely to be crowned the winner this weekend.
McCausland has been among the favourites for a long time, and was delighted to have made it to the final alongside Australian dancer Buswell.
This week, Strictly’s official Instagram shared an emotional reel of “hidden mic” moments, among them a tearful message from the professional dancer to McCausland.
Among the moving compilation, which was captioned: “Double the dancing, double the dancefloor dialogue. Enjoy the #Strictly Semi-final hidden mics,” was a candid moment between Buswell, 35 and comedian McCausland, 47.
Following one of their performances, the two share an embrace as the dancer can be heard telling McCausland: “I’m so proud of you… So proud of you”.
The couples all performed two dances in the latest episode, with McCausland and Buswell achieving a score of 33 for their first dance and 36 in the second.
The latter, a Viennese Waltz, impressed the judges and those at home but also left the couple emotional.
The routine ended with a long hug, with the judges touched by the couple’s emotional response.
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Giving her feedback, head judge Shirley Ballas noted: “Chris is getting all emotional and that is making us all emotional as well. Oh, Chris.
“From the very, very beginning of the show, who didn’t understand about picking your arms up or where your centre was…
“And to be able to watch you this evening, get your arms up so that you have some spatial awareness where you’re going, some beautiful footwork going on here, and that understanding.
“When she went between your legs it was seamless, up she went, and you picked her up on the other side, it was just stunning. You should be so proud of yourself.”
When it was pointed out Buswell had become emotional too, she replied: “I know I just can’t believe he is doing it!”
