EastEnders icon Lacey Turner earns first standing ovation of Strictly Come Dancing 2026 and called "magnificent"

Walford legend Lacey Turner went straight to the top of the leaderboard in the Strictly Come Dancing 2026 launch show.

The EastEnders favourite, best known for her multi-award-winning performance as Stacey Slater in the BBC One soap, surprised the judges by delivering a stunning cha-cha-cha in hot pink with her dance partner Vito Coppola after admitting a high level of nerves about her first live performance.

However, she needn't have been so concerned as she pulled it out of the bag and blew the judges away.

Head judge Shirley Ballas was on her feet, giving Turner a standing ovation following the performance and went on to praise the actress.

Shirley praised Lacey for her "beautiful walk", noting that she "came out" and "fought", dubbing her turn "magnificent".

High praise also came from Shirley's colleague Anton Du Beke, who called the cha-cha his "favourite dance of the night so far".

Giving constructive criticism, Craig Revel-Horwood commented that he "would have liked to see more defined hip action" but praised her "beautiful straight legs" and "great timing".

Finally, Motsi Mabuse commented that Lacey "made that look so easy" and called her "the surprise of the night".

Following this, Craig, Shirley and Anton awarded Turner 7 points each, with Motsi awarding 6, giving the actress a total of 27, meaning she topped the leaderboard.

An almost wonderstruck Turner commented that the response was "amazing" and Vito made clear his confidence in her.

Naturally, fans at home were quick to share their love for Lacey's performance too, with many sharing their favour on X, formerly known as Twitter.

One fan wrote on the platform: "Bit behind but Lacey absolutely smashed that !! Incredible #strictly"

Additionally, another commented: "Omg, she was so good! Everyone vote Lacey Turner!!!!!!🪩 #Strictly"

Meanwhile, one viewer went so far as to predict Turner would win the show: "Lacey Turner will win Strictly, I'm calling it now #strictly"

Finally, one commented that they were "obsessed" with Lacey's amazement at how well she did.

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We'll have to wait and see if Lacey's success continues next week - when we get the first elimination!

Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday 26 September at 6:15pm on BBC One and iPlayer.

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Lewis is the News and Trends Editor at Radio Times and leads our approach to news, reactive content, and serving audience demands and interests. An obsessive fan of television and film, Lewis is a Nicole Kidman fanatic with a side of passion for science-fiction, art-house cinema and the latest HBO drama. Lewis has a degree in Psychology and a Masters in Film Studies. After working in advertising, Lewis worked at The Mirror for three years in community management and SEO, showbiz, film and television reporting.