BBC Strictly's Sarah Hadland admits she was under 'extra pressure' in latest live show

Strictly Come Dancing's Sarah Hadland has admitted that she felt 'extra pressure' on last weekends show. In an emotional Movie Week tribute, the 53 year old actress honoured the late Harry Potter star Dame Maggie Smith.

Dazzling as Professor Minerva McGonagall, Sarah and her pro dancer Vito Coppola waltzed to the enchanting strains of Hedwig's Theme from the beloved film series. The Job Lot star Held Dame Maggie in high regard, saying she was 'one of my biggest inspirations,' and called it 'a real honour' to pay homage to such a cinematic legend.

With a commendable score of 33 out of 40, the duo's Viennese Waltz received accolades from the judges; Motsi described it as the "Highlight of the night so far, nostalgic and brilliant."

Appearing on BBC The One Show with hosts Alex Jones and Alex Scott, Sarah and Vito were praised for their moving performance, with Jones commenting: "We have to congratulate you on Saturday night, it was tremendous. It was such a moving tribute to Dame Maggie Smith."

When asked about the pressure of the performance, Sarah candidly responded: "Yes, I'll be honest. Dame Maggie Smith is just a real icon and legend and I think all actresses adore her because she was amazing. So I did feel the extra pressure because I thought we can't go wrong, it won't be acceptable," reports .

Vito Coppola, a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing, described his recent performance with partner Sarah as "It was very magical. We were synchronised and I said to her 'let's move like we are one' and just bring the magic."

Sarah agreed, saying: "It was really magical."

Vito also shared his emotional response to their routine on Instagram. He wrote: "This is has been just Magical. When I had to choreograph and I listened to this song I've got emotional every single time. It's something special and I really hope that we have been able to have dedicated a beautiful tribute to Maggie Smith."

Their performance earned them a high score, placing them joint second on the leaderboard. They tied with Dr Punam and Gorka and Shayne and Nancy, and were just one point behind top couple Tasha and Aljaz.

The One Show is on BBC One weekdays at 7pm and on BBC iPlayer