Chris Appleton, the first celebrity eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing, broke down in tears during Monday's episode of It Takes Two (October 5) as he watched back his best moments from the competition.
Presenter Ellie Taylor spoke to Appleton and his professional partner Amy Dowden after the pair became the first duo to leave the BBC show on Sunday night (October 4). The judges all opted to save Jaime Winstone instead of the celebrity hairdresser, ending his time on the programme.
Emotional reaction to exit
During It Takes Two, a montage of Appleton's highlights from his time on Strictly was shown, and he was quickly overcome with emotion. As the on-set audience applauded, Taylor commented, "I can see you're clearly really emotional about this; this has meant a lot to you."
Asked what he would take away from the experience, Appleton wiped his eyes and replied, "Why did you have to show that? Oh my god, it's just been a phenomenal experience, and I think I'll take away from it, hopefully I said to my kids on Saturday before I left, 'Guys, no matter how'... I can't even talk."
Message to his children
After composing himself, the 43-year-old recalled what he told his children before performing his routine on the live show on Saturday (October 3). He added, "I literally would go out there shaking, I did it anyway."
He continued: "There were times where I was like, 'I'm not sure I can do this', but I did it. All I did was look back at Amy, I'd see her smile, and I knew she was with me, and you know what? That says something about the show, to have people that care so much about you."
Appleton also praised the behind-the-scenes team, calling them "phenomenal." He said: "It really is a journey, it's a phenomenal one, and if you're lucky enough to do it, jump at it because it's amazing. But it's a journey."
Partner's reaction
Amy Dowden shared her thoughts on Appleton being the first celebrity to leave, admitting she was "gutted." Asked how she saw his confidence grow, she told Taylor: "From the first day up till obviously dancing on Saturday night and again in that dance-off, he grew and grew and started to believe in himself."
She added: "I'm just gutted that we didn't get the opportunity to continue because, honestly, Chris had improved so much from week one to week two, and I think there was so much more to come, but I just hope you (Chris) believe in yourself more as I will always believe in you."
