Strictly Come Dancing contestant Shaun Wright-Phillips has revealed he broke down in tears backstage after facing the dance-off against actress Melanie Walters. The former England footballer opened up during an Instagram session with his dance partner Alexis Warr, admitting he has "never been so emotionally vulnerable" in his life.
Emotional Aftermath of the Dance-Off
During what he called a 'Team Hobbits therapy session', Shaun described his reaction to the judges' marks after his first dance. He explained: "When I walked off after the first dance, I kinda knew where I'd made the errors. But I still thought over the grand scheme of things, as I said to you [Alexis], I was mad satisfied because I actually completed the routine. And then obviously you get the marks and it's a little bit deflating."
When Alexis asked what he was thinking as the results were announced, Shaun said he felt they were likely heading to the dance-off. "Getting ready for the dance off, I don't think I drank that much water in that short space of time and it just evaporated. It was all a lot at that point. But then we do the dance off and after the dance off, I don't think I've felt that emotionally vulnerable before in my life."
An Unaired Moment Backstage
Alexis then shared details of an unaired moment after the dance-off. She said: "We finished the dance off, we walked backstage and yeah, he just started tearing up and just saying like 'I'm proper emotional'. And I just wanted to give you the biggest hug. It was an emotional moment."
Shaun admitted he found it hard to explain his emotions to his family, adding: "Nobody sees me cry, I'm not a crier. If I'm gonna cry or my eyes fill up, it's normally in the privacy of myself."
Judges' Decision and Fan Support
Shaun and Alexis performed a Quickstep to I'm a Believer by The Monkees in the dance-off, while Melanie and her partner Aljaz performed a Charleston to Ooh Ahh… Just A Little Bit by Gina G. Head judge Shirley Ballas and Craig Revel Horwood voted to save Shaun and Alexis, as did Anton Du Beke with the deciding vote, ending Melanie's time on the show.
Fans flooded the Instagram comments with messages of support. One wrote: "I think you are doing amazing Shaun. It's so incredibly impressive to take on something like dance and give it your absolute all. It's honourable and you should be proud of yourself for even saying yes to something like this." Another added: "Keep going, doing yourself absolutely proud." A third said: "Nice one Wrighty! Sounds like therapy was good to open up and shed a tear, respect!"
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One on Saturday at 6.30pm.
