NO FEARON
Corrie's Ray and Camilla are voted off
CORONATION Street's Ray Fearon was the latest celebrity to be voted off TV's Strictly Come Dancing in a shock vote last night.
The 39-year-old actor, who played sexy mechanic Nathan Harding in the ITV1 soap, was booted off despite being 10/1 odds on to win the show at one point and was overall No4 favourite.
Ray looked stunned as he and partner Camilla Dallerup were given the lowest score by the judges for their so-so samba - and the public agreed.
His eight-year-old daughter Rosa-May, who was in the audience to support her dad, looked upset as star Ray bowed out.
The couple were narrowly beaten by "gruesome twosome" Claire King and Brendan Cole who have regularly been in the bottom two but managed to survive again for yet another week.
Ray's departure was doubly shocking after goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel's sorry samba, described by one judge as "absolutely heinous".
His dance verged on the comical at times as he strode off mid-routine in a completely different direction to his partner Erin Boag.
But the public voted to keep the great Dane in the competition instead of Ray to the huge surprise of insiders at the hit show.
Highest scorers of the night were ex-Spice Girl Emma Bunton and her partner Darren Bennett who were given 36/40 for their saucy samba.
Competition is now hotting up between favourites cricketer Mark Ramprakash, singer Emma, actress Louisa Lytton and England rugby ace Matt Dawson - who won second place last night with his harming "American Smooth.
Changing Rooms presenter Carol Smillie looked visibly upset when judges criticised her "American Smooth" dance and called her "a rough diamond."
But hot favourite Mark Ramprakash, who has had the female voters' pulses rating, didn't quite live up to expectations last night.
He was beaten by Emma and Matt and admitted the pressure had been getting to him during rehearsals this week.
And fellow sporting hero Matt, who had been told he was "holding back" with his dancing, even hired an acting coach this week to help him overcome his nerves when he dances with partner Lilia Kopylova. And it obviously paid off.
karen.rockett@sundaymirror.co.uk