Strictly's Tess Daly asks 'what just happened' as contestant shocks fans

One Strictly Come Dancing star left viewers and the judges "stunned" with their performance on Saturday night.

Viewers "were not expecting it" when former footballer Karen Carney and her professional dance partner Carlos Gu took to the dance floor and pulled off an epic routine. They had the studio audience on their feet, with host Tess Daly wowed by their performance, telling them so.

As the fast-paced and energetic routine came to an end, it was clear Karen and pro Carlos had the best time. Viewers also enjoyed it, racing to X to share their praise - while the studio audience applauded the duo.

As Karen and Carlos headed over to the judges, a surprised Tess asked them: "What just happened?" She wasn't the only one not expecting it though, with fans admitting they hadn't initially had Karen down as their early lead.

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With other stars including those with some dance training having been predicted as the early favourites, fans said Karen and Carlos came to win and now had a great chance of doing so. Taking to X, one fan said: "Omgg I did not expect this from Karen."

Another fan agreed: "Karen did so well omg, I'm stunned," as a third viewer posted: "OMG, Karen is seriously good!!!" Another fan said: "Karen you absolutely ate that up wow I was not expecting THAT performance," as another fan wrote: "Surprised is an understatement."

It comes after the news Dani Dyer had to pull out of the show days before the first live episode. She shared a sweet message for her Strictly co-stars ahead of Saturday's episode after being forced to leave the show earlier this week due to an injury.

It was announced on Tuesday that the 29-year-old would no longer be able to compete on the show after a fall during rehearsals led to her fracturing her ankle. However, despite not being able to take part, Dani has sent a message of support to her co-stars.

Taking to her Instagram stories, the mum-of-three wrote: “Good luck to all the gorgeous cast starting there Strictly journey tonight. Can’t wait to watch you all, so proud & know how hard you’ve all been working.. see you all soon.”

The official Strictly Come Dancing Instagram page revealed the sad news of Dani’s exit as they captioned it: “Unfortunately due to an injury Dani Dyer is no longer able to compete in #Strictly 2025. She’ll be sorely missed and we wish her a speedy recovery.”

Dani said: “I had a fall on Friday in rehearsals and landed funny. I thought I had rolled my foot but it swelled up so badly over the weekend and after an MRI scan yesterday, it turns out I have fractured my ankle.

“Apparently doing the Quickstep on a fracture is not advisable and the doctors have said I am not allowed to dance, so I’ve had to pull out of the show.

“To say I’m heartbroken is the biggest understatement. I am so going to miss dancing with Nikita but will of course be watching closely and cheering all the couples on.”

Strictly Come Dancing continues next Saturday on BBC One. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , and Threads.