Amber Davies was visibly emotional after securing a perfect score on Saturday night’s Strictly Come Dancing.
The West End star teared up after delivering a high-energy jive with her professional partner Nikita Kuzmin a performance that earned them their very first 40 of the season.
All four judges awarded top marks for their lively routine to Tina Turner’s Proud Mary during week 10 of the BBC competition.
Ms Davies struggled to hold back tears as she left the dancefloor to get ready for the Instant Dance challenge later in the evening.
With only six couples left vying for the glitterball trophy, the milestone was a major achievement for the pair.
Head judge Shirley Ballas said she was “speechless,” praising Ms Davies’s “exceptional” footwork throughout the number.
The routine required intense stamina and razor-sharp precision — and the judges agreed that Davies delivered both with ease.
Motsi Mabuse praised her for sustaining “incredible energy” throughout the challenging choreography, noting that the West End performer kept everything “tight” and “energised,” even with such a powerful, fast-paced song threatening to overpower the routine.
Anton Du Beke highlighted the sheer vitality of the performance, saying: “I wrote down ‘I love energy.’ It was so brilliant that’s basically all I wrote.”
Craig Revel Horwood, never one to mince words, summed up his verdict with a trademark flourish: “Fab-u-lous!”
Ms Carney also matched Davies’s triumph, securing her own perfect 40 with professional partner Carlos Gu.
Their Couple’s Choice number, set to Lady Gaga’s Born This Way, left the former footballer visibly moved after she and Carlos Gu received four perfect tens.
The high-energy routine blended multiple styles, including breakdance-inspired moves, and brought the studio audience to its feet.
Craig Revel Horwood proclaimed that the performance had launched Carney “into the Champions’ League, darling.”
Motsi Mabuse was equally enthusiastic, telling her: “Girl… this was everything. This is a step up. This is the next level. Congratulations. You absolutely knocked it out of the park.”
Even Shirley Ballas became emotional, saying: “I’m emotional because I love a strong woman — you are a superstar.”
This milestone comes in Week 10 of the competition, following last Saturday’s Blackpool special where all contestants advanced after La Voix withdrew due to injury.
The six remaining couples also faced a new layer of difficulty with the introduction of the Instant Dance challenge, where they discovered their dance style mere moments before performing — with just ten seconds to prepare a 40-second routine.
Lewis Cope and Katya Jones ultimately topped the Instant Dance challenge, securing an extra six points.
Earlier in the evening, performances delivered a mixed bag of results. Alex Kingston struggled with her cha-cha, earning just four points from Craig Revel Horwood after a series of noticeable mistakes.
George impressed despite admitting to errors, scoring 34 for his quickstep, while Lewis Cope received 36 for his rumba ahead of his Instant Dance triumph.
Anton Du Beke praised Carney’s routine as “an absolute celebration of you,” adding, “I’m going to borrow a phrase from my friend at the end — that was Ah. May. Zing.”
Amber Davies and Karen Carney each achieved perfect scores from all four judges — Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke — leaving them jointly at the top of the leaderboard before the Instant Dance bonuses were added.
Balvinder Sopal earned 28 for her jive after several footwork slips, though she kept her trademark sense of humour about the possibility of another dance-off.
The night saw errors from several celebrities, with Kingston receiving her lowest score since her debut.
Sunday’s results show will reveal which couple is eliminated as the competition moves towards the quarter-finals.