Sarah Hadland's Strictly Quickstep is "highest ever" for week 1

There are sure to be some impressive performances on the opening night of Strictly Come Dancing, and Sarah Hadland has kicked off the competition with a fantastic start!

The actress hit the dance floor alongside her pro partner Vito Coppola, performing a Quickstep to Dolly Parton's "9 to 5." Their performance not only had the audience clapping and the judges raving about their routine, but it also set a record as the highest-scoring Quickstep ever in the show's first week.

Craig Revel Horwood called the performance "amazing," while Motsi Mabuse remarked, "Truly, this year is going to be incredible! Kicking off the Quickstep like that—quick, rhythmic, with excellent posture and timing—fantastic job!"

Shirley Ballas expressed her thoughts, saying, "It’s fun to watch, the footwork is impressive, and I really enjoy this duo!"

Host Tess Daly looked at Hadland and exclaimed, "What an incredible beginning!" before directing the duo to go collect their scores. Once they were back upstairs with the other contestants and Claudia Winkleman, Hadland inquired, "What's happening here?"

Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola participated in Strictly Come Dancing. BBC

Coppola was quick to compliment his collaborator, stating, "I'm not sure why, but you were amazing. People have said you were incredible, and I agree—you are truly impressive."

Finally, the moment arrived for the much-awaited scores, and both contestants were thrilled to hear they received eights from Craig and Motsi, along with sevens from Shirley and Anton Du Beke. Their final score totaled 30, and Winkleman was eager to share an interesting tidbit with Hadland.

"That's the highest Quickstep score we've seen in the first week, without a doubt," she remarked.

Hadland has experienced a whirlwind of feelings since she became part of the Strictly experience. In an interview with Radio Times magazine, she revealed that she was so overwhelmed when she first saw her costume that she ended up in tears.

She shared, "It's incredible. I actually started crying the first time I put on my costume, simply because I wasn’t..."

The first time I encountered it, it was essentially just three pieces of purple Lycra and held together with six safety pins. I thought to myself, 'This is so simple.' I couldn't help but wonder, 'How are they going to make this more glamorous?'"

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She added, "Interestingly, I was chatting while they were getting me into it, and after everything was finally complete, I turned around and had this surprising moment. I’ve never worn anything quite so stunning before. It really took me by surprise."

I was caught off guard. Tears streamed down my face as I thought, 'This is absolutely breathtaking.'

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