Karim Zeroual delivered a masterclass in comebacks during Saturday’s Strictly Come Dancing by earning the first 40 of the current series.
The CBeebies presenter nearly exited the competition after ending up in the dance off last week but after a jive to Hairspray track You Can’t Stop The Beat, he earned a perfect score.
Karim and his professional partner Amy Dowden were overjoyed with their performance and Motsi Mabuse opened the judges’ comments by handing Karim her 10 paddle.
Shirley Ballas then praised Karim, 26, for coming back from being in the dance off “with a performance that flawless.”
“I have shivers going down my spine,” Bruno Tonioli added. “That was a mind blowing performance [...] The best jive we’ve ever seen on Strictly.
“You are a champion in my eyes already.”
Tess Daly then asked Craig Revel Horwood if he would finally be awarding a 10.
He teased, “It’s such a terrible shame darling, it really is.” before standing up and applauding.
Karim was understandably delighted to win the first perfect score of the series and thanked all of his Strictly co-stars for their support.
Despite impressing the judges and topping last week’s leaderboard, Karim still ended up in the dance off against Saffron Barker.
Once the two stars had performed their dances again, all four judges opted to save Karim.
Sunday (December 1) night’s results show will see another couple leave the competition ahead of next week’s semi-finals.
