Strictly hosts thank Aljaz Skorjanec for stepping in at the final hour amid Kai Widdrington's illness - as they welcome back injured Jaime Winstone

The Strictly Come Dancing hosts thanked Aljaz Skorjanec for stepping in at the final hour on Saturday night as he replaced poorly Kai Widdrington.

The professional dancer, 31, had been due to take to the floor with partner Delta Goodrem, 42, for their Argentine Tango, but it was confirmed on Friday that Kai would miss the show due to 'illness'.

And as week eight of the programme kicked off, Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe expressed their gratitude for Aljaz, 36, as they addressed Kai's absence. 

As Emma explained the situation to viewers, Johannes said: 'Hi papi, get well soon please and Aljaz thank you for stepping in!'

Meanwhile, Jaime Winstone was given a warm welcome back to the dancefloor with Carlos Gu after missing last week's show due to her injury. 

Jaime, who has survived three dance-offs so far in the competition, was forced to pull out of last week's show after suffering an injury during training when she tore an abdominal muscle. 

Emma gave her a 'ginormous welcome back', while Josh said: 'We missed you so much, it feels like you're back where you belong.'

To which the actress responded: 'It's great to be back!' 

Kai's absence comes just weeks after he and Delta skipped Week Four of the competition after the Australian singer was ordered to rest after injuring her rib. 

A statement shared to Strictly's Instagram page read: 'Due to illness, Kai is unable to dance on tomorrow night's show.

'Instead, Aljaz will step in to dance the Argentine Tango with Delta. We're sending Kai all our love and hope he feels better soon.'

The post was met with a plethora of comments wishing Kai well, with head judge Shirley Ballas leading the charge as she wrote: '@kaiwidd hugs get well soon ❤️.' 

Meanwhile, kicking off Saturday's week eight show, Graeme and Lauren took on a Quickstep to Happy Days by Pratt & McClain. 

The dog expert gave it his all as he hoped to move higher up the leaderboard, however, he made a few mistakes in the routine and the judges were quick to pick up on them.

Amid some praise for the pair, Craig Revel Horwood said it was 'a crying shame you went completely wrong twice', while Motsi Mabuse echoed: 'I wish you hadn’t made that mistake but good job.'

The errors meant that Graeme and Lauren scored 27 points in total. 

After topping the leaderboard last week, Dani and Nikita did the Paso Doble to Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Lorde.

The spectacular routine was fierce and powerful and even featured fire, with the audiences left on their feet.

However, while most of the judges praised the performance, Craig hit out at Nikita for the choreographing the dance that was 'littered with illegal lifts'.

He fumed: 'You're taking the mick darling, there were four huge lifts, one foot should be on the floor at all times darling and you know that!'

While Craig gave them a six, the other judges awarded the pair eight points, meaning they scored 30 overall. 

After landing joint bottom on last week's leaderboard, John and Katya were hoping to turn things around with their Jive to Pump It by Black Eyed Peas.

The energetic routine received mixed feedback from the judges, with Motsi noting it was 'clean and tidy, some body isolations but it was a bit stop-and-go', while Anton commented that 'you died a bit towards the end'.

With three eights, the pair scored a total of 31 points. 

Tabby and Mark took to the floor with a Viennese Waltz to I’m with You by Avril Lavigne.

Like the previous couple, the pair received both negative and positive reviews from the judges, with Anton saying it was 'beautifully elegant' while they were 'cramped' in hold, while Shirley said though there was some 'sticky footwork', their posture was 'improving'. They bagged 30 points in total. 

After landing in last week's dance off, Cach and Maddie were hoping to impress with their Charleston to Blame It on the Boogie by The Jacksons.

And impress they certainly did as they left no stone unturned, leaving the audience -and Motsi and Shirley – on their feet. 

Craig declared that it was 'a-may-zing!' while an excited Motsi exclaimed it was 'dance of the whole season!'

It seems that Cach and Maddie were definitely on the up as they earned an incredible three 10s, topping the leaderboard with 39 points overall. 

Amid Kai's illness, Delta joined forces with Aljaž Škorjanec to do the Argentine Tango to Missing by Everything But The Girl.

Despite having just hours to rehearse together, their dance was well received by the judges with Motsi saying 'I rate you so highly' for pulling it off, while Anton said it was 'gorgeous, refined and beautiful to watch'.

It was a great night for the pair as they scored 35 points, Delta's highest score so far. 

Up next was Lacey and Vito, who did the Foxtrot to Have You Met Miss Jones? by Robbie Williams. 

While the routine certainly seemed impressive, eagle-eyed Craig had a bone to pick with Vito as he moaned: 'it wasn’t a foxtrot, it’s not an open dance' as he questioned how he was supposed to judge it.

Head judge Shirley picked up on this too, telling the pro: 'Vito, please follow the rules for Auntie Shirley.'

Vito took full responsibility for the error and stood up for his partner. The judges then awarded the couple 27 points, which landed them joint bottom. 

Will and Dianne then took on a Paso Doble, performing to Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat. 

The routine garnered a mixed bag of responses, with Craig noting: 'the shaping was a big problem, it lost its Spanish quality, but you presented it quite well,' while Motsi added: 'You need to commit slightly more to the character of the dance, I've seen you do better dances.'

Will and Dianne scored 27 points overall for their performance. 

Returning to the dancefloor following her injury, Jaime and partner Carlos closed the proceedings as they danced a Charleston to I Can’t Do It Alone by Catherine Zeta-Jones. 

The pair gave it their everything on the dancefloor and that was certainly appreciated by the judges as they showered their pair with positive comments. 

Craig said he 'loved it' as it was a 'really great detailed job', Shirley gushed their 'kinetic energy was just sensational', while Motsi said she had 'so much respect' for Jaime for coming back strong after three dance off and an injury. 

And their efforts certainly paid off, with the pair bagging 33 points, leaving them third on the leaderboard. 

The Strictly Come Dancing Results show airs Sunday at 7.15pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.