Strictly Come Dancing: Seann and Katya through to dance another week - BBC News
Comedian and his dance partner are through to the next round after kissing photos controversy.
Seann Walsh and Katya Jones are through to the next round of Strictly Come Dancing after a week of controversy.

They have faced calls to leave the show after being photographed kissing on the birthday of Walsh's now ex-girlfriend.

However, their Charleston received a warm reaction from the crowd who cheered as the pair took on a number of tricky lifts on Saturday night.

Katie Piper became the third celebrity to leave the show after losing out to Charles Venn in the dance-off.

The TV presenter and her partner Gorka Marquez danced their jive again in the dance-off but the judges chose to save Venn and his partner Karen Clifton after they repeated their salsa.

Piper said she felt "thrilled" and "privileged" to have made it to week four, adding: "I have taken a lot from this experience and it has all been really positive, and I'll never forget this journey."

Katie Piper's jive with Gorka Marquez saw her in the dance off

After the latest elimination, fans were left divided in their reaction on social media, with many saying Walsh deserved to go.

One outraged viewer tweeted: "Cannot believe seann and katya got through, what a great advertisement for cheating!?!"

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Others said it was the right decision, with one tweeting: ""Yyyaaaayyy glad to see Seann and Katya made it through," adding it "is no one else's business" and not for "Twitter to play judge and executioner!!".

Comedian Walsh and professional dancer Jones, who is married, both apologised after the images of them kissing emerged.

Walsh, 32, tweeted: "This is no excuse but it was a one-off drunken mistake which I am truly sorry for."

Jones, 29, said the kiss was a "one-off mistake after some drinks".

"I'm so sorry about any offence or hurt I may have caused with my actions," the dancer tweeted.

"I love my husband and we are very happy together, this is not a reflection on our relationship."

The publication of the photos in a Sunday newspaper of the pair kissing led Walsh's girlfriend to end their relationship.

Actress Rebecca Humphries broke her silence soon after, claiming in an open letter that Walsh had called her "psycho/nuts/mental" when she suspected something was going on between him and Jones, who is married to Strictly dancer Neil Jones.

Performing on Saturday night for the first time since the photographs emerged, Walsh and Jones were scored 28 by the judges.

Former Strictly professional James Jordan tweeted that he thought the pair had been "overmarked" to protect them from elimination.

One viewer suggested the show had failed to address the elephant in the room by not referring to the kiss.

There has been no direct reference on the show to the furore around Walsh and Jones - apart from an indirect joke from Claudia Winkleman on Saturday night.

But judge Craig Revel Horwood told The Jonathan Ross Show: "My take was keep them in the show, make them do the dance of shame, if you like."

More than 10 million viewers tuned in to watch Strictly on Saturday.

Peaking at 11.9 million viewers, it had an audience share of 51.2% and was the most-watched show across all channels on Saturday, according to overnight ratings.