She has 19 Paralympic golds, but Dame Sarah Storey's last Strictly moment was all about someone else.

Storey and her professional partner Julian Caillon became the third couple to leave Strictly Come Dancing 2026 on Sunday, Oct. 18, after an Icons Week dance-off against Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu, BBC Newsround reports. Soon after, she posted a heartfelt thank-you to Julian.

The dance-off

Sarah and Julian scored 21 on Saturday for their Tango to Shania Twain's "That Don't Impress Me Much," with Sarah channeling Shania herself, Newsround and the Express report. Bethany and Nancy scored 27 for their Cha Cha to Aretha Franklin's "Respect."

In the dance-off, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke all voted to save Bethany and Nancy, and head judge Shirley Ballas said she would have done the same, according to Newsround.

The judges were kind about Sarah's journey. "I did think Sarah improved," Anton said, according to the Manchester Evening News. Shirley added: "Oh, she's come great strides from the very, very beginning. But I think she gets too in her own head, she's a little bit tough on herself."

Her goodbye to Julian

Sarah's first Instagram post after her exit was a love letter to her partner, the MEN reports:

"Thank you for being the best pro I could have ever wished for @julian_caillon you really are a wonderful and fabulous human and I so loved our time on the show."

Julian replied: "So proud of you and how much you've grown as a dancer!! Have loved spending time together, having a boogie and can't wait to get some more rides in," the Express reports. Amy Dowden and Nancy Xu sent love in the comments, as did 2011 runner-up Chelsee Healey, according to the MEN.

Speaking on Strictly: Lights Up, Sarah admitted she was disappointed: "I'm also disappointed that I don't get to bring it on Monday to try and do the same again," she said, as reported by the Express.

The twist: a bike ride is on the cards

Look closer at her post and there's a sweet P.S.: "Shorter than we wished for, I will miss not learning a new dance with you tomorrow and trying to put all the tips and feedback into practice PS I love your idea of a bike ride," she wrote, per the MEN. Julian's reply about "more rides" suggests the pair are swapping the ballroom for the road. Who better to take a dance partner cycling than a Paralympic cycling legend?

A legend on and off the dance floor

Sarah is Britain's most decorated Paralympian, with 30 Paralympic medals, including 19 gold, 8 silver and 3 bronze, according to her BBC Strictly profile. She won her first gold at 14 as a swimmer and her last at 46 as a cyclist, and announced her retirement in July 2025, the BBC says. Her medals aren't in a fancy cabinet either: they're kept in socks, in special pouches made by her mum.

She is also the first Dame to compete on Strictly, and she signed up partly for her daughter. "My daughter [...] is a very talented dancer, so to be able to learn from the best and hopefully understand even more about her world, is incredibly motivating!" she said when she joined, per the BBC Media Centre.

Strictly is back on Saturday, Oct. 24, on BBC One from 6.30pm. See who's left in Strictly 2026 and how to vote.

Twelve couples, one Glitterball and a front-runner who sat out last week: Strictly's race just got interesting.

Strictly Come Dancing 2026 returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 6.30pm UK time on Saturday, Oct. 24, with 12 couples left, according to the BBC Media Centre. Dame Sarah Storey and Julian Caillon were the latest to leave, after an Icons Week dance-off, BBC Newsround reports. Here's everything you need for Saturday.

Who's left on Strictly 2026

These are the 12 couples still dancing, with pairings from the BBC's official announcement and Icons Week scores from the BBC leaderboard:

• Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby (34)
• Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu (34)
• Will Best and Dianne Buswell (31)
• Lawrence Robb and Jowita Przystał (30)
• John Nellis and Katya Jones (29)
• Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola (29)
• Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita (29)
• Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr (28)
• Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley (28)
• Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu (27)
• Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin (25)
• Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington (bye in Icons Week)

Cach and Maddie and Jaime and Carlos shared the top of the Icons Week leaderboard. Jaime's 34 is a glow-up worth celebrating: she and Carlos were in the Movie Week dance-off just two weeks earlier, per the BBC.

The twist: the Week 3 leader is coming back

Delta Goodrem received a bye through Icons Week because of an injury, and the Australian singer is set to return this week, the Manchester Evening News reports.

Here's why that matters: before her injury, Delta was the couple to beat. According to the BBC leaderboards, she and Kai topped Week 3 with 33 points and had the highest combined score from Week 1 and Movie Week, with 59. Everyone else just had a week to catch up. Saturday's leaderboard could look very different.

Who has left so far

• Movie Week: Chris Appleton and Amy Dowden, after a dance-off against Jaime and Carlos (BBC)
• Week 3: Melanie Walters and Aljaž Škorjanec, after a dance-off against Shaun and Alexis (BBC)
• Icons Week: Dame Sarah Storey and Julian Caillon, after a dance-off against Bethany and Nancy. Head judge Shirley Ballas had the deciding vote but wasn't needed, as the other three judges all saved Bethany and Nancy (Newsround)

Read our story on Dame Sarah Storey's sweet Strictly farewell.

How to vote on Strictly Come Dancing

The BBC's official voting info lays it out:

• Where: online only, at bbc.co.uk/strictly, or by scanning the QR code shown on screen during the show.
• Account: you must be signed in to a BBC account. Registering is free at bbc.com/register, so sign in before the vote opens.
• How many: up to 5 votes per voting window, rising to 8 in the final. Pick couples with the + button, then press "Submit X Votes." Once submitted, votes can't be changed.
• Cost: voting online is free, though normal data charges may apply.
• Who: viewers in the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man only.
• Not allowed: no phone, text, email or red-button votes, and no voting through the iPlayer app. If you're watching on catch-up, the BBC says not to vote, as the vote may have closed.

Judges' scores and the public vote are each turned into points and added together, and the bottom two face the dance-off.

Who's judging and hosting

Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke are the judges. Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe host, the first time the show has had three presenters, per the BBC.

Dates for your diary

The BBC lists Halloween Week on Oct. 31, Blackpool on Nov. 21 and Musicals Week on Dec. 5. For extra Strictly, It Takes Two airs weeknights from 6.30pm on BBC Two and iPlayer, and Strictly: Lights Up drops on iPlayer right after each Sunday results show.

Get your BBC account ready. Saturday is going to be a big one.

Across the pond, ballroom fans can also catch up on Dancing With the Stars Dedication Night.