Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Nottingham Post
Nottingham Post
World
James Rodger & Matthew Bunn

BBC Strictly Come Dancing Star Will Mellor steps in as Nancy breaks down in tears

Actor Will Mellor has spoken out after his controversial exit from BBC Strictly Come Dancing. The star was interviewed by Rylan Clark on spin-off show It Takes Two after the semi final on Monday, December 12, alongside his professional dancing partner Nancy Xu.

Many fans have threatened to boycott the hit show after Mellor's exit, reports Birmingham Live. The Line of Duty star was sent home after a dance off with Fleur East and Vito Coppola, as the judges awarded 74 to East and 70 to Mellor.

On It Takes Two, Will said: "It was tough doing two dances. It was really tough. My brain struggles with one dance a week - my brain can't take in two things at once, and obviously it was the semi-finals, so it was tough. There was pressure. But, you know, I thought we were ready."

Read more: 'Over capacity' Nottingham GP surgery only able to help with emergencies due to high volume of calls

Will continued: "I am just human. Anybody who meets me, you get to meet me. I don't have another person I can put in. We had worked so hard, we had got so far in the competition, and I beat myself up. I was too harsh on myself. What I always said was I wanted this lady next to me to be happy and to be proud. That was what mattered to me."

Nancy said: "I have enjoyed it so much." And Will added: "It was better than I thought it was." It came after the pair gor their lowest score this weekend, in the semi final.

The actor said: "The Couples Choice was a song where we went nostalgic, we had loads of fun, and we went out and enjoyed it. Every dance can be your last one - when you had two, you have the chance to come back with something strong. So it was great for me. It was a good time."

"I wanted to much to get to the final. I wanted to get this girl there. She has given me everything - everything - so I was gutted to be in the bottom." Towards the end of the interview, Will stepped in to console Nancy as she burst into tears and reached for the tissues.

"I am so grateful, thank you to this man, I couldn't even imagine the journey we had," Nancy told Rylan. "To see him not believing in himself, then slowly enjoying the dance on the Saturday night performing, then feeling satisfied and the smile on his face," she added.

"Thank you so much," she continued. BBC Strictly Come Dancing: The Final will air live on Saturday at 7.15pm, on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Why not sign up to one of our newsletters by clicking here to keep up with all the latest news from across Nottinghamshire.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.