Strictly's Sarah pays tribute to Dame Maggie Smith with Harry Potter dance

strictly come dancing, vito coppola, sarah hadland, harry potter
Strictly's Sarah pays tribute to Dame Maggie SmithBBC

Strictly Come Dancing paid tribute to Dame Maggie Smith a week after her death as part of tonight's (October 5) show.

The actor, who passed away at the age of 89 at the end of September, had a lengthy and illustrious career, starring in acclaimed projects from A Room with a View, Othello and Gosford Park to Sister Act and Downton Abbey.

As part of Movie Week, Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola paid tribute to possibly her most well-known role: Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter series, through a Viennese Waltz to John Williams' 'Hedwig's Theme'.

strictly come dancing, sarah hadland, professor mcgonagall
BBC

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"Last week we lost a true icon of cinema," Tess Daly said as she introduced the couple, while the duo discussed their love of Dame Maggie in the VT. Vito said McGonagall was his "favourite professor" while Sarah said she "idolised Maggie Smith, one of the best actors ever" and that they were going to dedicate the dance to her.

The pair took to the dancefloor as McGonagall and a Hogwarts student together, with the stage designed to resemble the magical school.

After the dance, Tess called it a "beautiful tribute", while Sarah told Claudia Winkleman that it was "a huge honour" to be able to perform it.

strictly come dancing, vito coppola, sarah hadland, harry potter
BBC

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Anton Du Beke called one of their moves "idiotically brilliant" but said that Sarah was an "exceptional ballroom dancer", while Craig Revel Horwood noted that there was a "bit of rise of fall" which the dance doesn't normally have, but was "simple, effective, [and] I loved it."

Motsi Mabuse named their performance the "highlight of the night" so far but wished Sarah would "let loose" more, while Shirley Ballas said that it was "for the most part, absolutely lovely", but the actor needed to work on her turns.

They scored 33 points from the judges, putting them near the very top of the leaderboard.

Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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