Nigel Harman dealt huge blow to Strictly hopes as new data emerges hours before Halloween routine

In fact, Harman had emerged as an early outright frontrunner with bookies in the first few weeks of the contest after he blew the judges away with his debut Paso Doble in Week One.

Harman bagged an incredible 32 out of 40 for his first dance of the series and has continued to wow BBC viewers by finishing near the summit of the leaderboard ever since.

However, despite being an early punt for glory, Harman's chances have been hit thanks to the show-stopping performances of fellow contestant Ellie Leach.

James Leyfield at gambling.com revealed all to GB News when discussing the odds for Halloween Week as he said: "Bobby Brazier and Nigel Harman might be spooked by Ellie Leach, who has been well backed to win the show this week.

"Punters have continued to back Ellie on Strictly Come Dancing betting sites this week, after her impressive 37-point Paso Doble last Saturday.

"The former Coronation Street actress - who was 8/1 last Friday - is into 10/3, from 9/2 at the beginning of the week, and she is now joint-second favourite alongside Nigel Harman."

While Harman - whose song and dance choices for the week came under fire along with the other Halloween routines by fans - may still be a second-favourite for glory, Leyfield revealed his odds have extended as a result of Leach's rocketing up the market.

"Former EastEnders actor Nigel has been pushed out to 10/3 from 11/4 earlier in the week, but current Albert Square resident Bobby Brazier is still favourite to win the Glitterball Trophy," Leyfield continued.

He added a further blow to Harman's hopes as he concluded: "Bobby is into 15/8 with Bet365, but it suddenly looks like Ellie is now his biggest competition rather than Nigel."

While it's disappointing news for Harman fans that his chances of lifting the Glitterball have been dealt a blow, they can take comfort in the fact it'd take a miracle for him to land in Week Six's dance-off.

Instead, bookmakers have pinpointed Zara McDermott - who was tipped to exit last week - as the most likely celebrity remaining in the competition to be sent packing after surviving two dance-offs already this series.

McDermott is odds-on at 4/9 to leave the competition according to data from BettingSites.co.uk - while the person who's most likely to accompany her in the dance-off isn't as clear.

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Both Adam Thomas and Annabel Croft are joint second-favourites for the axe this weekend at 5/1.

Head of news for BettingSites.co.uk, Lee Astley told GB News: "Zara is the favourite to depart for a second week running.

"She’s been in the bottom two twice now, sparking rumours on social media that the show is trying to get rid of the reality star. Zara has been given the Charleston for Halloween week, which fans of the show describe as ‘the hardest dance’.

"McDermott, who stands at 200/1 to win Strictly, was odds-on last week to be eliminated - but a strong scoring performance from Zara in the dance-off saw her saved for a second time.

"Annabel Croft along with Adam Thomas are both 5/1 to leave the competition. The two celebs are both naturally weak dancers and a scary performance this week could see either celeb shown the exit door."

So far this series, Les Dennis, Nikita Kanda, Jody Cundy and Eddie Kadi have all been eliminated while actor Amanda Abbington quit the show for "personal reasons".