Shirley had very positive words for Hamza following his American Smooth.
The first Strictly Come Dancing Blackpool special in three years got off to a bang tonight, with Hamza Yassin and his partner Jowita Przystał performing an American Smooth which Shirley Ballas had high praise for.
Hamza and Jowita performed their dance to Frank Sinatra's New York, New York, with the judges going on to award the couple a whopping 38 points.
In her feedback, Shirley said that Hamza shone "brighter than all the baubles and beads and bangles in the world" before saying he gives "Blackpool such respect". She went on to praise his footwork and "small nuances", and, in high praise indeed, added that he was "the one to beat for me".
The rest of the judges had similarly high praise for Hamza, with Anton calling it "outstanding" and a "beautiful" dance, before adding: "Welcome to Blackpool everybody".
This week's Blackpool special sees the celebrities each get extra dancers for their performances and Hamza called it an "absolute honour" to perform at the Tower Ballroom.
Strictly professional dancer Luba Mushtuk previously teased that this week's Blackpool special would be magical, when speaking exclusively with RadioTimes.com
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She said: "I'm not sure how it is going this year, what's going to happen. So I still believe that it will be an incredible show because when we go to Blackpool, we always put on the most incredible and biggest show.
"There will be two fantastic group routines, an amazing singer… I can't wait for people to see who and it will be a magical, magical moment. Because when we're in Blackpool, it always feels extremely special to be there."
Strictly Come Dancing continues airs Saturdays and Sundays on BBC One, with this week's results show airing on Sunday 20th November at 7:20pm.
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James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
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