Cheryl was left in total shock during The Greatest Dancer spin-off for Sport Relief when her best friend and former Girls Aloud bandmate Kimberley Walsh surprised her with her performance.
Friday night’s broadcast of Sport Relief 2020 saw a slew of celebrities form two teams to go head-to-head in front of The Greatest Dancer panel made up of Cheryl, Oti Mabuse, Todrick Hall and Matthew Morrison.
But Cheryl had absolutely no idea Kimberley would be competing and was left visibly shocked when she saw her pal take to the stage for her team’s performance to Chicago’s All That Jazz.
Surprise! Cheryl was left in total shock during The Greatest Dancer spin-off for Sport Relief when her best friend and former Girls Aloud bandmate Kimberley Walsh surprised her with her performance
As Kimberley turned around and started making her way down the stairs, Cheryl gasped in shock and pointed towards Kimberley in shock.
That didn’t deter Kimberley from strutting her stuff and she admitted after the performance that the thought of stepping out in front of Cheryl had been ‘quite terrifying’.
Sharing her reaction, Cheryl joked: ‘I thought we were friends?’
She said: ‘I am so confused, I turned around to see the start of the performance and it was the back of her and I was like, “That’s my best friend,” I loved it, you looked great.’
Loving it: Kimberley kicked off the performance with Alexandra Burke, as they strutted their stuff down the stairs
Shock: Cherly was seen gasping as she realised Kimberley was on stage with Encore
Oti Mabuse added that the group’s performance was ‘absolutely phenomenal’, but Kimberley being best friends with judge Cheryl didn’t see her get any special treatment, as the panel voted the opposing team Donate the winners.
Donate was made up of Strictly’s Saffron Barker, Corrie star Katie McGlynn, Louis Smith and singer HRVY.
Friday night’s Sport Relief saw guest appearances from Rio and Kate Ferdinand, Andy Murray, comedian Romesh Ranganathan and Mary Berry.
Sneaky: Kimberley said Cheryl had no idea she was going to be performing, as she’d kept it from the singer
Taking part: Kimberley teamed up with Alexandra Burke, Jay McGuiness, Sam Quek and Harry Judd as team Encore
‘Quite terrifying’: Kimberley joked that she found the performance ‘quite terrifying’ knowing she’d be performing for Cheryl
‘I thought we were friends?’ Cheryl joked that she was ‘so confused’ by Kimberley coming out on stage, but said she loved her friend’s performance
She’s a fan: Oti Mabuse told Encore she thought their dance was ‘absolutely phenomenal’
Presenter Paddy McGuinness also paid tribute to Caroline Flack, following her death last month, in a moving moment.
Viewers were left in tears and praised the tribute, as former Take Me Out host Paddy McGuinness honoured Caroline in a bittersweet moment that aired during Friday night’s broadcast.
He told viewers that Caroline, who had previously worked with Sport Relief, would be ‘missed’, with fellow presenter Gary Lineker echoing his sentiments.
‘Recently we lost a much-loved member of the Sport Relief family,’ Paddy said. ‘Caroline Flack was always a huge and very active supporter of everything this charity does. She gave so much of her time and talent to help others.
He continued: ‘She’ll be greatly missed by us all, we send all our love to her family.’
Caroline died by suicide on 15 February and Paddy had been among the celebrities paying tribute to the Love Island presenter, after news emerged of her passing.
Winners: But it wasn’t Kimberley’s team that took the win, as the judges crowned Donate, made up of HRVY, Katie McGlynn, Louis Smith and Saffron Barker
Remembering Caroline, he told fans: ‘Such a shame. We’re all fragile and we all need an arm around the shoulder and some reassurance from time to time. Check in on your friends and family. Rest peacefully Caroline.’
Paddy had messaged Caroline his support during a difficult few months which saw her step down from the first winter series of Love Island, after she was arrested for assault following an altercation with her boyfriend Lewis Burton.
Lewis chose not to press charges, but the Crown Prosecution Service decided to go ahead with Caroline’s trial and she was due in court on 4 March.
Paying tribute: Sport Relief 2020 honoured Caroline Flack, with host Paddy McGuinness paying tribute to the Love Island presenter in a moving moment
‘I’m crying’: Viewers were moved by Paddy’s tribute to Caroline and praised Sport Relief for the bittersweet moment
Remembering Caroline: The late star had previously worked with Sport Relief
Caroline was laid to rest in a private funeral that took place earlier this week and was attended by her family and close friends. She had previously been involved with Sport Relief and took a trip with the charity to Rwanda in 2014.
Viewers watching at home were moved by the tribute that aired during Friday night’s broadcast.
One viewer commented: ‘I’m crying now…. that tribute to Caroline Flack got me. She’s missed immensely.’
Another added: ‘@PaddyMcGuinness Nice one paying tribute to @carolineflack1,’ while a third viewer tweeted: ‘The mention to Caroline Flack on sports relief has me in tears.
A fourth said: ‘@sportrelief Well done on a great tribute to Caroline Flack #BeKind.’
Doing their bit: Gary Lineker (pictured above with Sport Relief hosts Alex Scott and Paddy McGuinness) revealed this year’s broadcast will be giving a chunk of donations to those affected by the coronavirus pandemic
Kicking things off: Rita Ora was first to perform on Sport Relief 2020 and debuted her new track How To Be Lonely
The BBC decided to go ahead with Sport Relief’s live broadcast, despite concerns about the coronavirus pandemic that has seen many TV shows cancelled due to concerns over the outbreak.
Gary had announced that this year’s fundraiser would be giving a chunk of donations raised to helping those affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Match of the Day host told viewers at home: ‘These are extraordinary and unprecedented times, never have the vulnerable been more vulnerable than they are now.
‘We are already making sure that a chunk of what we raise will be going to those affected by coronavirus.’
Paddy then thanked the studio’s live audience for coming out to support the cause, after the BBC decided to still go ahead with a live audience in place – assuring that their audience’s safety will be their top ‘priority’ during the program.
All eyes on her: Rita was joined on stage by dancers who were real-life couples for her performance
Rita Ora kicked things off with the first performance of her new track How To Be Lonely, co-written by Lewis Capaldi. The duo announced they’d teamed up on the track on Instagram just days before Sports Relief, with Lewis joking he’d handed the song over to Rita because he was ‘sh**e’ at singing it.
The Inter-Generational Connect Choir, based in Wales, then followed with a performance with You’ve Got A Friend In Me, with Gary announcing prior to their performance that the elderly members of the choir wouldn’t be in attendance as a precautionary measure following coronavirus concerns.
Talk then turned to dancing later in the show, with Paddy recalling his involvement in Let’s Dance For Comic Relief with Keith Lemon. They recreated the Dirty Dancing lift and, with Alex just finishing a stint on Strictly Come Dancing, the pair began discussing recreating the lift all in the name of Sport Relief.
But, Paddy soon had other ideas and instead turned to Gary to be his chosen dance partner.
‘Nobody puts Gary in the corner, step aside,’ Paddy told Alex, before hoisting Gary up into the air.
The hosting line up then switched to Strictly professional Oti presenting alongside Emma Willis and Rylan Clark-Neal.
Viewers were treated to an exclusive performance from new West End musical Back To The Future, while former I’m A Celebrity star Sam and comedian Lloyd Griffiths battled it out to take a huge 2020 penalties in 12 hours.
Funny guys: Paddy recreated the Dirty Dancing lift with Gary to introduce the show’s Greatest Dancer segment