Pasha Kovalev and Ashley Roberts in Strictly Come Dancing’s live show from Blackpool. (Image: PA)
Celebrities who top the Strictly leaderboard in Blackpool rarely manage to repeat the feat seven days later.
History suggests the couple who come first in the Tower Ballroom typically end up finishing third the following weekend.
This happened to Alexandra Burke in last year’s series, as well as Georgia May Foote in 2015, Pixie Lott in 2014 and Matt Baker in 2010.
Simon Webbe came joint top with Lott in 2014 only to finish fourth the following weekend.
Susanna Reid slumped even further in 2013, from first in Blackpool to fifth the week after.
Strictly Come Dancing judges (left to right) Craig Revel Horwood, Dame Darcey Bussell, Shirley Ballas and Bruno Tonioli, after awarding four 10s to Ashley Roberts and Pasha Kovalev. (Image: PA)
This year’s Blackpool winners, Ashley Roberts and her partner Pasha Kovalev, who scored four 10s, will be hoping to dodge the Blackpool “hangover”.
They can take comfort from the fact that not all Blackpool champions perform worse the week after.
Danny Mac finished first in the Tower Ballroom in 2016, then repeated the feat seven days later.
Ali Bastian did the same in 2009, though neither she nor Mac went on to win the entire series.
And Natalie Gumede came joint first with Reid at Blackpool in 2013, finished first the week after, topped the leaderboard in the final, but still was not voted champion by the public.
Can Ashley & Pasha dodge Strictly’s Blackpool ‘hangover’?
