A tearful Ellie Simmonds and her Strictly Come Dancing professional partner Nikita Kuzmin thanked fans for ‘the love and support’ as they avoided the dreaded dance-off despite finishing in the bottom two on the leaderboard.
The Paralympic gold medallist and Nikita scored 29 for their foxtrot to the theme from Scooby Doo on Saturday night, dressed as Velma Dinkley and Shaggy Rogers from the iconic TV series, respectively.
Although judge Motis Mabuse reckoned it was a ‘great improvement’ for the pair, and Ellie herself teased an acting career after the performance, her colleague Craig Revel Horwood stated: ‘It was very stop-and-start and that annoyed me to no end. It wasn’t my favourite, it was slightly boring.’
Their marks put them ahead of EastEnders actor James Bye and Amy Dowden at the bottom with 27, and behind Tony Adams and Katya Jones, who nabbed a 31 for their quickstep.
Speaking on Sunday night’s results show, after being confirmed as saved thanks to the public vote, co-host Claudia Winkleman turned to the pair and pointed out that Ellie was ‘quite emotional’.