Strictly Come Dancing 's Ellie Simmonds has said that becoming the sixth celebrity contestant to be eliminated from the much-loved BBC dancing show on Sunday, November 6, is like going through a “heartbreak”.
The 27-year-old paralympic swimmer and her dance partner Nikita Kuzmin left the competition, which has now reached the half-way point, on Sunday after facing Molly Rainford and her partner Carlos Gu in the dreaded dance off performing their lively Charleston to Too Darn Hot from Kiss Me Kate. However, when it came to the judges decision, saving Molly was unanimous, meaning Ellie and Nikita's Strictly journey was over.
Of the pair's final dance, Ellie said: “I loved that dance, it was so fun and we trained so hard for it.” Nikita added: “ This was a very emotional week, we really wanted to prove everyone wrong. We came out there and just really wanted to have fun, and I think we did it!”
Read more: Sixth celeb eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing as show hits halfway mark
Discussing their exit from the competition on Strictly: It Takes Two with Rylan Clark on Monday, November 7, Ellie reflected on being in the bottom two, and said: “It was really really horrible, we were so shocked and it’s just not nice. We didn’t want anyone to be in the dance off. When we saw it was us, and to hear it was Molly and Carlos as well, who are absolutely incredible, all of us are like family, so to see that they were in the dance off as well was so sad. You don’t want anyone to go home!”
She added, of being eliminated: “I found yesterday and today a bit like going through a heartbreak, Strictly is everything and it’s been the most incredible time. We’ve been doing it seven weeks now and now it’s all over all of a sudden. It’s so sad but I cannot wait to see them all dance incredibly, I’m going to be supporting them all the way.”
Like every week, the show played a video reel looking back on the pair’s time on the show together - their ‘Best Bits’. Introducing the segment, Ellie told Rylan: “Oh no, don’t make me emotional, I’ve been non-stop crying since Saturday night anyway!”
After watching back the clips, the pair were full of smiles. Being asked what she will miss the most, Ellie said: “It’s so hard to say one moment because its everything, this Strictly experience has been everything to me. Everyone, the pros, the celebs, everyone backstage, the make-up department, hair department, costume department, I’m even going to miss Alan, the floor manager…
"It’s going to be so sad, I feel like I’m heartbroken. Because what am I going to do now I’m not going to be with [Nikita] every single day?
Keeping spirits high, Nikita chipped in, saying: “Darling, I’m jobless now!”
She added: “At least you get to go every Saturday night now though!... It’s going to be so weird not dancing with you 9-6, you know?”
Speaking about their partnership, Nikita told Rylan: “It’s a little bit difficult to talk right now, but I’m just really grateful to have had this experience, to have had every single second with you, to have had every moment, to have our struggles. You make me so much better. Not only as a choreographer, you taught me so much as a person. You taught me so much about life. You taught me… It’s been one of the best times in my life and I will be forever grateful.”
She added: “He is literally the best. What he’s done for my choreography, you realise everyone can dance… he’s adapted it to me. It shows that choreographers out there can do anything. With dwarfism. With any different disability,. You’ve changed people’s lives.”
Strictly - It Takes Two continues every weeknight at 6:30pm on BBC Two and Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturday and Sunday nights on BBC One and BBC iPlayer
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