Strictly Come Dancing star halts show to announce tragic death of contestant

Strictly Come Dancing's spin-off, It Takes Two, came to a halt on Monday (November 10) as show host Fleur East took a moment to honour the memory of a former participant. Over the weekend, Top Gear presenter Quentin Willson, who competed in the second series of Strictly Come Dancing back in 2004, died at the age of 68. He had battled lung cancer in the months before his death, according to a family statement.

In a moving statement: Fleur shared: "Before we carry on with the show, we'd just like to pay our respects to Strictly alumni Quentin Willson, who sadly passed away at the weekend," she announced, whilst a photograph of Quentin on the dancefloor appeared on screen behind her. He danced back in series two with Hazel Newbury, and we're sending our deepest condolences to his family and friends."

Quentin famously holds the record for the lowest score ever awarded to a competitor on the BBC dancing programme. Alongside professional partner Hazel, he performed a Cha Cha as their opening dance in their series of Strictly, but found themselves languishing at the foot of the leaderboard with merely eight points out of a potential 40.

Quentin featured on Top Gear between 1991 and 2001 and was also recognised for hosting The Car's the Star and The Classic Car Show. Announcing his death, his family released a statement revealing he had died "peacefully surrounded by his family"The statement read: "A true national treasure, Quentin brought the joy of motoring, from combustion to electric, into our living rooms. The void he has left can never be filled," expressed the family of the late star.

"His knowledge was not just learned but lived; a library of experience now beyond our reach," they added, as many of his famous friends paid their respects on social media.

Among those to pay tribute was former Top Gear colleague Jeremy Clarkson. He shared his condolences on X, formerly known as Twitter, stating: "I'm far away, so I've only just heard that Quentin Willson has died. We had some laughs over the years. Properly funny man."

James May, who briefly appeared with Willson on the original Top Gear in the 1990s, also paid tribute as he called him a "great bloke",