In a bombshell that has ripped through the Strictly Come Dancing fanbase like a paso doble gone wrong, drag superstar La Voix has sensationally announced her immediate departure from the BBC One juggernaut, just days after being granted a bye for the Blackpool specials due to a “minor injury.” The 45-year-old RuPaul’s Drag Race UK alum, real name Christopher Dennis, who had become a beacon of glamour and grit alongside pro partner Aljaž Škorjanec, dropped the tear-soaked exit in a raw Instagram Live from her Cheshire home last night – leaving viewers reeling and producers scrambling.
“I cried all night! I’m leaving!” La Voix declared, her signature beehive slightly askew, mascara streaking down her cheeks as she clutched a sequined feather boa like a lifeline. “This time I won’t stay silent any longer. The injury? It’s real, darlings, but it’s not why I’m out. It’s the rescues, the whispers, the feeling like I’m dancing on borrowed time. I’ve been saved from the bottom two *four times* now – four! Each one chips away at your soul. I can’t do it anymore.”
The announcement caps a whirlwind week for La Voix, who on Tuesday was confirmed to miss the iconic Blackpool Tower Ballroom episodes after tweaking her heel during a high-octane rehearsal lift for their planned quickstep. A BBC spokesperson had issued a measured statement: “Due to injury, La Voix has been advised by doctors to rest and, as a result, will not dance in this weekend’s Blackpool specials. In line with the rules of Strictly Come Dancing, La Voix and Aljaž will receive a bye through to next week when it is hoped they will be able to dance again.” Fans breathed a collective sigh of relief, flooding social media with #GetWellLaVoix pleas and memes of her voguing through adversity.
But in a twist that’s pure soap opera, La Voix’s Live – viewed by over 500,000 in real-time – peeled back the glamour to reveal a far grittier narrative. “They’re spinning it as a rest week, but let’s be real: I’ve been limping through rehearsals for days, popping painkillers like they’re Tic Tacs,” she confessed, her voice dropping to a husky whisper. “The bottom-two rescues? They started in week four after that brutal Cha Cha score – a two from Craig, remember? I’ve fought back with sambas that set the floor alight and a Barbra Streisand Couples’ Choice that had Motsi in tears. But darling, four saves? It’s like the public’s voting for the drama, not the dance.”
Sources close to the production tell *The Sun* that La Voix’s exit stems from mounting exhaustion after a string of nail-biting dance-offs: against Pete Wicks in week five, Tasha Ghouri in six, and back-to-back rescues in seven and eight amid the show’s ongoing scandal storm – from pro dancer bullying probes to the emotional toll of eliminations like Vicky Pattison’s tearful goodbye. “She’s poured everything into this – the heels, the holds, the heart,” an insider revealed. “But waking up to those Sunday results, seeing your name in the danger zone again? It breaks you. The bye was meant to buy time, but it felt like pity.”
La Voix didn’t hold back on the “shocking truth” behind the BBC’s injury line, alleging it was a gentle nudge to “save face” for all involved. “I love Aljaž – he’s my rock, my Slovenian sparkle – but the pressure cooker of Elstree? It’s fierce,” she said, echoing past stars like Will Young and Johnny Weir who cited mental health strains. “I’ve got panto commitments in pantomime heels starting December – Cinderella’s wicked stepmother, no less – and I need to heal properly. But this? This is me choosing joy over jeopardy.”
The drag icon, whose journey from Blackpool’s drag dens to the Glitterball leaderboard had inspired a generation, detailed the toll: sleepless nights scrolling viewer votes, the sting of online trolls questioning her “authenticity” as a queer trailblazer, and the cumulative weight of those rescues. “Week four: saved by a hair. Week five: public pity vote. By week eight, I was whispering to the mirror, ‘Am I here to win or to be the villain they root against?’” Her eyes welled as she added: “I cried all night after the last one. Aljaž held me, but you can’t choreograph away the hurt.”
Fellow contestants rallied instantly. Aljaž posted a single-word tribute – “Warrior” – alongside a photo of them mid-lift, while Vicky Pattison, fresh from her pregnancy reveal, FaceTimed in: “You’re not quitting, queen – you’re conquering. Come back for the tour; we’ll glitter-bomb the haters.” Pete Wicks joked on Stories: “La Voix out? More like La Voix legend. Save some sparkle for us mortals.” Even returning Blackpool performers like Layton Williams dedicated a rehearsal clip: “This quickstep’s for you, diva – heels up in spirit!”
Social media erupted, with #LaVoixLeaving trending UK-wide and X ablaze in support. “Heartbroken but proud – she deserved better than the rescue roulette,” one fan tweeted, echoing calls for no elimination this weekend to honor her spot. Critics, however, smell a ratings ploy: “Too convenient post-scandals,” posted a skeptic, while bookies slashed odds on a dramatic return for the semi-finals.
BBC bosses, caught off-guard, issued a fresh statement this morning: “La Voix has been an absolute joy – her energy lit up the ballroom. We respect her decision and wish her nothing but fabulous recoveries. The show goes on, but she’ll always be family.” Insiders hint at behind-the-scenes talks for a guest spot on the Strictly tour in January, where La Voix could reprise her Streisand strut sans scores.
As Blackpool prep buzzes without its fiercest diva – Steps and Lewis Capaldi stepping in for group dazzle – La Voix signed off her Live with defiant glamour: “I came for the dance, stayed for the sisterhood, and I’m leaving with my head high and my wig intact. To every queen out there: Strut your truth, even if it means sashaying offstage.” From the Tower’s art deco glow to the drag dens she calls home, La Voix’s Strictly saga ends not with a whimper, but a vogue that’ll echo through the semis. The glitterball dims a shade tonight – but her light? It’s eternal.
