Until a few months ago, many of us would have been forgiven for never having heard of drag performer La Voix.
The Ru Paul’s Drag Race star will certainly have had a significant following already, but Strictly Come Dancing, despite its numerous scandals each year, undoubtedly gives participating celebs a huge boost in their careers – provided they aren’t embroiled in a career-ending controversy.
And this will be no different for La Voix, whose real name is Chris Dennis.
While the performer divides opinion, many of the show’s viewers find the constant tongue-in-cheek remarks each week hilarious and even endearing. La Voix will undoubtedly have earned a few extra followers by the end of the series.
However, despite being a hit with some, La Voix isn’t one of the better dancers. In fact, among the couples that remain on the show as it enters the iconic Blackpool Week, the 45-year-old may be the weakest left.
I don’t resent celebrities with lesser dancing abilities remaining in the competition – it's expected each year, and in a way, it is what the show should be about: famous faces learning a completely new skill and candidly showing their struggle while hopefully improving throughout the process.
More importantly, each of the competitors' spots in the contest is predicated on a mix of both the fans and judges’ decisions.
However, it was announced this week that La Voix had suffered an injury and would be skipping this weekend’s upcoming show in Blackpool, catapulting straight to Week 10.
La Voix shot to fame in RuPaul's Drag Race | GETTYLa Voix's fans are sure to be delighted that they'll remain in the contest, but this inevitably spells disaster for another couple. Balvinder Sopal surely can't survive another dance-off, can she?
While the EastEnders star isn’t one of the more competent of dancers, her performances have been mixed, fluctuating from impressive to relatively poor when compared with some of the high-quality talent on the current series.
On the other hand, La Voix has, in my opinion, remained consistently poor, seemingly counting on fans and the novelty of the flamboyant character and fun routines to remain on the show.
The drag act did land in the dance-off recently but was rather surprisingly saved at the expense of Gladiators star and athlete, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey.
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La Voix has become a popular contestant on the show
| BBCThe following week saw La Voix performing a Couple’s Choice, the context of which was fraught with emotion and a moving backstory.
This saw the memorable performer once again sailing through to Blackpool Week, a huge milestone in the Strictly calendar, while Ms Sopal and Vicky Pattison faced the dance-off.
While I may personally disagree with La Voix having reached Week Nine, I do respect that this pattern emerges almost every year and is simply part of the show. What isn't acceptable is when there’s a situation in which celebrities can simply strut through the series while not even competing.
Of course, injuries happen and are nobody's fault, and I can only imagine how crushing that must be for someone who has been enjoying taking part in the show. But as we have seen in the past, it’s the nature of the game.
To name a few, Stefan Dennis of the current series, Nicola Adams of the 2020 show, and Robert Webb in 2021 all had to quit due to illness or injury. Even Kirstian Nairn was replaced before a single twirl this year, resulting in Lewis Cope's arrival.
Dani Dyer was another casualty of the 2025 series and had been forced to withdraw from the show a week before it began airing after hurting herself during training. It’s unfortunate but somewhat inevitable in such a physically demanding show.
La Voix faced the dance-off against Harry Aikines-Aryeetey
|BBC
Like any other sporting competition, though, it should be the case that at a certain point, competitors have to withdraw rather than unfairly skipping stages.
Back in 2021, presenter and potential Strictly winner AJ Odudu had to pull out of the show very close to the finale after an injury. She was heartbroken but graciously accepted the situation.
Ms Odudu displayed a genuine talent for dancing and, had she remained on the show, she had a very high chance of lifting the Glitterball Trophy. Unfortunately, things happen.
The show prides itself on being true to its classic showbiz roots, maintaining a “show must go on” quality, which was evident during the pandemic when it brought some normalcy while other shows went off air. It has also fiercely maintained its fluffy and family-friendly nature despite many behind-the-scenes scandals.
The professionals are forced to accept simply not being in the show in some years for seemingly no reason. So why are some contestants allowed to be given such a huge advantage?
On the football pitch, a match continues when someone is removed after an injury, with a replacement quickly stepping in. Nobody expects the game to stop and be postponed for a more convenient time for the injured party.
And with Strictly being on for such a short period already, each and every week can be a game-changer for contestants. To miss a week and return unscathed at this point is frankly daylight robbery.
Furthermore, at this stage in the show, La Voix has fulfilled the desire to promote drag representation and can walk away with their head held high – so why cling onto an unfair means of staying in the competition, particularly as the show approaches the homestretch?
I can understand exceptions being made early on in the series, where each couple’s standing and potential haven’t yet been cemented, and celebs haven’t had a true chance to show what they’re capable of. But La Voix has firmly established which Strictly category they fall under, and it isn't potential winner.
The right thing to do would be to bow out and allow the finalists to be determined authentically. Even give the aforementioned Ms Pattison the chance to return, why not?
After Blackpool, there are merely three weeks of the show left, and stubbornly clinging to a place despite not performing is greedy and will be detrimental to other stars.
Fans of the already-popular Ru Paul’s Drag Race will tune in during the next series no matter how La Voix continues to perform, and there'll undoubtedly be an invite in the post.
To leave gracefully now would be more of a service to the drag star's persona, rather than leaving some fans with a bad taste in their mouths as one couple is forced to leave unfairly.
La Voix should do the right thing and quit the show, allowing the competition to move forward in the hands of its fans. Either that or the rules need a major overhaul to ensure this doesn't happen so close to the final again.