Fleur East has admitted she is "so so sad" as she reflected on her part in the Strictly Come Dancing dance-off with pal Richie Anderson.
The former X Factor star, 34, and dance partner Vito Coppola, 30, found themselves in the bottom two the weekend despite being around the middle of the leaderboard during movie week.
Fleur and Vito had performed an impressive American smooth to Part of Your World from the Little Mermaid, whilst Richie and his partner Giovanni went for a fun-filled samba to Hakuna Matata from the Lion King.
The two couples being in the bottom surprised fans and it ultimately resulted in Richie and Giovanni being sent home by the judges following their dance-off performance.
Taking to Instagram last night after the show went out on BBC One, Fleur expressed her upset and vowed to work harder the following week.
She said: "So grateful to be saved by the judges this week. But so so sad to say goodbye to my friend [Richie]."
Alongside footage from her routine, she added: "Thank you so much for your messages of support. We will work harder this week and do our absolute best on the dance floor".
The post attracted a number of responses, including from BBC Radio 2 presenter Richie, who took to the comments section to write to Fleur: "Queen. Love you so much".
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The post also prompted viewers to express their surprise over the latest dance-off, with a number of fans having not expected Fleur nor Richie to be in the bottom last week.
Among those who shared confusion was radio host and Strictly alum Melvin Odoom, 42, who said: "[Your dance was] beautiful. How the hell were you in the bottom two?"
Loose Women 's Kaye Adams, 59 - who was the first person to be voted off Strictly this year - wrote similarly in the comments: "So shocked to see you both in the bottom two".
Following her performance on Saturday night, Fleur had taken to the platform to share her excitement over her latest dance - which she said had been "the best time".
"I fulfilled a childhood dream last night and became Ariel on Strictly. I had the best time and soaked up every second of it. I hope you enjoyed it too," she said about the routine.
She added in the recent post: "I'm learning so much through this experience and working hard to improve every time. [...] Thank you all for your messages of support".
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday night (October 15) on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 6.30pm. The results show will air the following evening from 7.15pm.
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