Will Mellor and Nancy Xu broke down in tears as they discussed their exit from Strictly Come Dancing 2022 on the show spin-off It Takes Two.
The Coronation Street star landed in the dreaded dance-off alongside Fleur East and her dance partner Vito Coppola after the remaining couples took to the BBC One ballroom floor in the quarter-finals.
The two couples were asked to perform their favourite routine of the night once again, as the judging panel of Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and Shirley Ballas watched over with a judicious eye.
After both couples had danced a second time, the judges delivered their verdicts on which couple would be progressing to the final next week, with only Anton choosing to save the pair.
Will and Nancy appeared on the later instalment of It Takes Two on Monday with host Rylan Clark and the pair were reduced to tears after the BBC Two programme played a compilation of their highlights on the show.
Will hugged Nancy and thanked both her and the Strictly show, saying they had created ‘some amazing moments to look back on’. Thank you so much to Strictly
Yet earlier in the interview, the pair hinted that the feedback from the judges to the Paso Doble had been harsh, particularly after they watched the dance themselves.
Will told Rylan: “I’m just human. I was disappointed because we’d worked so hard and gone so far in the competition. The last thing I wanted to do was get it wrong that night.”
He continued: ”With what the judges said, I beat myself up and I watched it back and I was too harsh on myself.”
Turning to Nancy, he added: “What I've always said is what I care most about is making this lady happy. She said, ‘You did me proud’. It wasn’t as bad as they made out.”
Nancy replied: “Dancing with you, I've enjoyed every minute,” as Will again said: “It was better than I thought it was, so I was a bit harsh on myself.”
After Will’s elimination had been confirmed on Monday, host Tess Daly then asked for Will’s final thoughts on the show and he first thanked Strictly for giving him the opportunity to put a smile on his mum’s face.
He said: “I’ll take whatever I have learnt from this show forward in whatever I do because it shows you can achieve more than you think.
“I didn’t think I’d be able to get anywhere near this and I am so proud of what we have achieved but also everybody who has voted for me, who has supported me, the messages I’ve had from my local community and children.”
