EastEnders star Maisie Smith was heartbroken to find herself in the Strictly dance off for the second week running.

The 19-year-old and her professional partner, Gorka Marquez, faced actress Caroline Quentin and Johannes Radebe, in the tense Sunday night show.

Maisie was unanimously saved by the judges following a repeat of her stunning routine, which saw her soar to second place on the leaderboard.

Fans were baffled as to how the actress had found herself in the bottom two for the second time and were convinced they had figured out why.

Maisie's supporters believe viewers aren't backing the star because of her confidence on the dance floor.

Maisie Smith was devastated to be in the bottom two for the second week running (
Image:
BBC)

One tweeted: "Think I’m coming across as a Maisie stan but I’m just sick of people saying she’s “cocky” or “arrogant”.

"No one would say this if she was older or a guy, people just can’t stand seeing a talented, confidant young woman and it’s awful to see."

"maisie in the dance off again what the f***???? the public clearly don’t like young confident women and it shows!!" complained a second.

"The UK hates confident women confirmed," claimed a third.

"If Maisie is in the dance off again it just proves my point that UK audiences don’t like confident young women," added a fourth.

The judges saved Maisie and Gorka, and viewers said goodbye to Caroline and Johannes (
Image:
PA)

Maisie has been in the public eye since she was just six-years-old, first starring in the Hollywood blockbuster, The Other Boleyn Girl, before landing the part of Tiffany Butcher in EastEnders.

However, despite being a talented dancer and actress, Maisie has battled devastating mental health issues since finding fame at such a young age.

The teenager has spoken out about her issues with the devastating condition body dysmorphia.

In a moving video on social media, Maisie revealed she had penned a song about her battle and wanted to inspire others to get help.

The stunning actress was just 13 when she began suffering from the disorder.

Gorka Marquez and Maisie Smith had finished Saturday's show second on the leaderboard (
Image:
PA)

Her emotional lyrics said: "When I was little I would look in the mirror, holding in my stomach wishing that I was thinner.

"Guess I had a case of body dysmorphia - and I still haven't shaken it off.

"Things were getting heavy, that's what the scales told me.

"Only 13 years old, wiping the tears of my cheeks, it felt like no-one else around me really understood."

According to the NHS: "Body dysmorphia is a mental condition where a person spends a lot of time worrying about flaws in their appearance. These flaws are often unnoticeable to others.

Maisie Smith opened up about her battle with body dysmorphia (
Image:
Instagram)

"People of any age can have BDD, but it's most common in teenagers and young adults. It affects both men and women.

"Having BDD does not mean you are vain or self-obsessed. It can be very upsetting and have a big impact on your life."

Maisie added an inspiring message to accompany her video.

She wrote: "If you’re feeling particularly down at the moment - don’t worry you’re not alone.

"It’s a scary time right now and tbh my anxiety is hitting the roof. Been feeling a bit trapped in my thoughts so I wrote this yesterday to heal my mind.

"I am so thankful to be home and well, I hope we all come out of this together; stronger."

  • Maisie and Gorka will be back on the Strictly dance floor at 7:15pm tonight.