Actress Alex Kingston became emotional during a live appearance on Strictly Come Dancing's sister show It Takes Two, where she opened up about her elimination and shared a touching revelation about her husband.
An Emotional Revelation on Live TV
The 62-year-old star, who was voted off the BBC dance competition over the weekend following a tense dance-off against EastEnders actress Balvinder Sopal, struggled to hold back tears as a highlights reel played. Speaking to host Fleur East alongside her professional partner Johannes Radebe, 38, Kingston made a heartfelt confession.
Having watched footage of herself stating she could 'achieve anything', Alex revealed: 'I found out on Sunday my husband said to me he kept a secret from me.' Dabbing her eyes, she continued: 'He has been taking for the last five weeks Salsa lessons. He’s been learning Salsa so he can be my partner.'
Johannes was visibly moved by the admission, sharing a hug with his celebrity partner. Fleur East responded emotionally, stating: 'Oh my goodness, you will break me tonight. That’s so lovely and I love what Strictly has given you because it is so much more than just a dance show.'
Injury and a Dance-Off Redemption
Kingston, who narrowly missed out on a place in the quarter-finals after reaching week ten, also explained that an injury hampered her final performance. She was excited to perform the Cha Cha Cha but sustained an injury during rehearsals that worsened throughout the day.
'By the time it came to dancing, that distracted me and took my focus,' she said. 'Obviously it was upsetting that I didn't do the dance that I wanted to do for Johannes or the audience that night.'
She felt she redeemed herself in the dance-off, however, stating: 'I did get a chance to do it again in the dance-off and I felt that I actually managed and the steps were alright. I didn't make any mistakes.' Johannes agreed, saying he 'absolutely loved' the second performance.
Alex concluded her time on the show by saying: 'I feel like if you're going to go out, at least go out feeling that you did the best you could in the state you were in.'
Speculation Over Johannes Radebe's Future
The emotional episode followed speculation from viewers about professional dancer Johannes Radebe's future on Strictly. After the elimination on Sunday's results show, he made a speech that fans interpreted as a potential farewell.
In what was seen as an unusual move, Johannes directly addressed his Strictly 'family', saying: 'To my Strictly family. I'm forever grateful. Thank you.' This prompted immediate questions on social media, with fans asking if he was planning to leave the series for good.
Alex Kingston was the eighth celebrity to leave the 2024 competition. Judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Shirley Ballas all chose to save Balvinder Sopal and her partner Julian Callion in the dance-off, sending Alex and Johannes home.
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday at 6:50pm on BBC One and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
