As we all by now, not everything we see on the telly is as it seems.
But last night, one of TV’s biggest secrets was exposed by a slip up in schedule.
What happened? Well, the amazing Laura Whitmore appeared in TWO places at once
What the hell?
At just before 8pm, millions of viewers watched the gorgeous Northern Irish presenter sadly crash out of Strictly Come Dancing after a tense dance off between her and Ore Oduba at the show’s studios just outside London.
But eagle eyed viewers who switched channels to catch the LIVE coverage of the MTV Europe Music Awards were shocked to see Laura Whitmore standing on the red carpet – hundreds of miles away in Rotterdam!
What kind of sorcery is this, we hear you cry? How could lush Laura be in TWO places at once?
Er, simple. Like the best magic in the world, it’s all smoke and mirrors.
You see – SPOILER ALERT – unlike The X Factor, which is actually filmed on two nights, the BBC actually record Strictly’s Sunday results show late on Saturday evening.
Of course for the sake of viewers’ viewing pleasure, the result of the dance off is kept a closely guarded secret until the show is aired on Sunday evenings.
In last night’s show, Laura waved a sad farewell to her fellow competitors after the judges decided Ore’s dance off performance was the better of the two.
However, Laura said she wasn’t surprised and had admitted afterwards that she had actually expected to go when she found out who she was up against.
“I knew [I’d be going] when I was in the dance off with Ore,” she confessed. “Ore has been my friend since day number one, I’ve told him he better go and win this thing now because in my head I can pretend I was second but he’s wonderful.
In spite of her early departure, Laura says she is proud of what she has achieved on the show.
“It’s upsetting to leave, Strictly is a family but you know it’s not a funeral,” she reasoned.
“The judges gave me great comments and I think I’ve done myself proud and I’ve worked really hard.
“Two weeks ago I couldn’t walk because I’d injured myself and to be able to come back here for two weeks has been lovely.”
Laura admitted that her time on the show has been very special and she intends to stay chums with her fellow ballroom beaus and belles.
“I will stay in contact with all these people,” Laura promised. “It’s such a great opportunity to be part of this and make so many friends and I’ve really enjoyed my time with Giovanni and learning so much.
“It was kind of like being back at school again which was really nice and refreshing, it’s been brilliant and to even get this far, I’m so proud of myself.”