Strictly Come Dancing fans have been rushing to share their love and support as the latest couple to leave the competition were seen saying a 'final goodbye' ahead of the next live show of the 2026 series.
Melanie Walters, known for playing Gwen West in Gavin & Stacey, was the second celebrity to be eliminated from the BBC One dance contest following week three of the competition over the weekend. The actress had been paired with professional dancer Aljaz Skorjanec for the 2026 edition of the show, which began last month.
Dance-off defeat
The couple landed in the dance-off against Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr. After both couples performed their routines again, with Melanie and Aljaz reprising their Charleston to Ooh Ahh… Just A Little Bit by Gina G, the judges delivered their verdicts. While Motsi wanted to save Melanie, fellow judges Shirley Ballas and Craig chose to save Shaun and Alexis. Anton Du Beke also sided with Shaun and Alexis, sealing Melanie and Aljaz's fate.
Speaking to host Emma Willis, Walters said: "To be honest, no truth of a lie, I thought I was going to be out last week." Her professional partner told the actress she was the "ultimate professional". He added: "You showed me what hard work really is and what it means."
Fans respond to farewell video
The pair have now appeared in a new video shared by Strictly's social media team, in which they marked the end of their time on the show together. Aljaz said: "Hello everyone. First of all, thank you so much for all the kind messages, for all the love that we have received on socials..."
Melanie continued: "Everybody from Swansea, everybody from Wales, everybody from the UK, thank you so much! I absolutely have loved every minute of it and I will miss it. And I will miss this particular gorgeous human being an awful lot."
Aljaz replied: "I'm not going anywhere, by the way. I'm keeping the same phone number and I'm keeping the same address. So, see you soon?" Melanie added: "Yeah, definitely!"
The caption of the post read: "Melanie and Aljaz say their final goodbyes as they leave the competition [heart emoji] #Strictly," before fans rushed to respond. @sadavis366 said: "Really going to miss these two. They were amazing. Absolutely amazing and awesome and my favourite too." @zoeritter18 commented: "We will miss you a lot Melanie and Aljaz." @maria.crawley.90 wrote: "Miss you both. Loved watching you both dance." @junej_a3 replied: "You were a fab duo. Shame you had to go so soon. Well done anyway." @geet_a0428 added: "Going to miss these two so much, love to both Melanie and Aljaz."
