Strictly Come Dancing professional Nadiya Bychkova has broken her silence following her early exit from the show alongside Olympic swimmer Tom Dean. The pair were the first to be eliminated from the current series after losing a dance-off to Toyah Willcox and Neil Jones.
In an emotional Instagram post, Bychkova shared a photo of herself and Dean in their dance costumes, writing: 'I really appreciate all the messages but I'm not ready to talk about what happened tonight just yet.' She added a praying hands emoji and a white heart.
Dean, a three-time Olympic gold medallist, reflected positively on his time on the show, saying: 'I've had the best time the last few weeks and getting to work with Nadiya has been incredible. I wish I could have gone further and done more dances.'
The couple scored 20 points for their cha cha to Earth, Wind and Fire's 'Boogie Wonderland' in the dance-off, following a 23-point tango to Harry Styles' 'Golden' the previous week. Head judge Shirley Ballas made the final decision to save Toyah, citing 'musicality' and 'timing' as key factors.
Viewers expressed outrage on social media, with one writing: 'Tom has been robbed! Toyah was by far the worse dancer! Absolute Fix.' Another commented: 'Jeez. First week and already a disgraceful decision.'
Bychkova praised Dean as a 'true gentleman' and said: 'He taught me how to work really hard and how to put everything in. On this programme, sometimes to win, you don't need to win, and that's how I feel this year.'
