Strictly Come Dancing's Pete Wicks' chances of survival 'dealt major blow' ahead of next show

The latest Strictly Come Dancing betting odds have been released, with Pete Wicks' chances of survival reportedly being 'dealt a blow' ahead of the latest live show

Strictly Come Dancing's Pete Wicks has suffered a blow ahead of the upcoming live show, despite achieving his highest series score last weekend. The reality star and his professional partner Jowita Przystal are tipped by bookies as one of the likely pairs to leave the competition this week.

Following their Movie Week samba routine set to the 'George Of The Jungle' theme, which garnered 26 points from the judges, Pete's prospects of continuing have been shaken. Ex-footballer Paul Merson and TV host Nick Knowles—who might withdraw due to an injury—are anticipated for the dreaded dance-off, yet Pete isn't safe just yet.

Bookmaker Ladbrokes has placed Paul as the favourite to leave at 8/11 following his narrow escape last week, with Nick trailing at 6/4 to exit. On the other hand, Pete's odds stand at 5/1 for elimination on Sunday, leaving all other competitors with longer odds of 14/1 or more.

Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: "The race for the Glitterball Trophy is well and truly on, but Paul Merson and Nick Knowles will do well to make it past Week Four, if the latest odds are anything to go by."

As the competition heats up, former Love Island star Tasha Ghouri is holding strong as a favourite with odds of 3/1, however, Chris McCausland has surged ahead as the frontrunner with odds of 10/11 from Ladbrokes. The visually impaired comedian, alongside his dance partner Dianne Buswell, has been enthralling both the judges and the audience with their outstanding dance numbers, according to reports from Birmingham Live, reports Wales Online.

Receiving acclaim for their jive to the Wayne's World theme in last week’s show, even the usually critical judge Craig Revel Horwood was moved to praise their performance, describing it as "packed full of fantastic rhythm” and contributing to an impressive overall judging panel score of 30. In a moment of high praise, Craig directly told Chris, "You can dance."