Strictly star dances on 'ball bearings' as pearls erupt from dress

A glittering moment turned into a hazard for Strictly Come Dancing professionals when a shower of pearls erupted from Dianne Buswell’s dress mid-performance. The Daily Mail reported ^[1] that the incident occurred during Saturday night’s opening routine, leaving fans fearing that someone had "lost a tooth" rather than realising beads were cascading from the gown.

Buswell and her partner Will Best were performing a quickstep to Maroon 5’s This Love when the pearls appeared to tumble from her bodice during a pivotal move. The pair powered on, dancing their final steps over a literal carpet of loose beads, according to the Daily Mail ^[2]. Despite the precarious footing, the couple secured 29 points from the judges.

Presenter Josh Widdicombe highlighted the danger when the duo returned to the judging panel. He told Buswell: "You're a showman now. You didn't even mention the pearls fell from your dress, you were essentially dancing on ball bearings during that second half!" He added that she could have fallen over at any moment. Judge Johannes Radebe later pointed out that the pearls were still scattered across the floor, telling the pair: "You left your pearls on the floor, girl."

Social media reactions ranged from concern to confusion. One viewer wrote: "The timing with the pearls flying off made me think someone's tooth had come out for a second," while another admitted, "My heart was in my mouth when the pearls fell. I had visions of a nasty accident." A third asked simply: "Did Dianne's dress just explode everywhere?"

The mishap added to a demanding week for Will Best, who has been juggling Strictly rehearsals with presenting duties on Big Brother. The presenter recently welcomed his first child, son Sonny, with partner Tobi Rose last month, as noted by the Daily Mail ^[1].

Elsewhere on the show, Dani Dyer claimed the top spot on the leaderboard after dazzling judges with an American Smooth. Dyer and partner Nikita Kuzmin made a dramatic entrance, sliding down a banister before launching into a routine set to Harry Connick Jr’s It Had to Be You. The performance oozed old-school Hollywood glamour, earning a solo standing ovation from judge Shirley Ballas. Motsi Mabuse described it as "classy, beautiful and made me smile". Dyer, 30, scored an impressive 36 points, including her first ten of the series, placing her firmly in the lead.