Strictly Come Dancing star Will Best broke down in tears during the latest episode of the BBC show as he reflected on the early days of his TV career, remembering how several programmes he fronted were cancelled after just one month.
The 41-year-old presenter spoke about his couple's choice routine with Dianne Buswell, which paid homage to his hosting role on Big Brother alongside AJ Odudu. Will told Strictly audiences that his presenting journey has been full of "peaks and troughs".
Career setbacks and second wind
Will recalled: "Started strong, T4 and The Crash and Freshly Squeezed and everyone was like, 'This is it, Will. You have made it'. Then in the space of, honestly, one month, they all got cancelled and, you know, it was scary. You can be busy doing things and then suddenly it can all sort of go away. But, I was lucky enough to, I don't know, get a bit of a second wind."
A brief clip showed Will standing before the Big Brother house with the live audience and his co-host on the platform. Will mentioned that when he discovered he'd secured the position, he couldn't believe it.
Emotional tribute to family support
The TV star was quickly overwhelmed with emotion when he discussed the backing he's received from his family and friends throughout his career. He said: "I'm proud of myself for not giving up, but I wouldn't have been able to keep going if it wasn't for, like, the friends and family that I have..."
Will then became visibly emotional as he whispered in tears: "We'll come back to it." During the segment, Will's mum, Lindy, added: "Seeing him on television, it's just lovely, and he did that himself through sheer determination, and I feel incredibly proud."
Judges' scores and leaderboard
Ultimately, Will and Dianne's couple's choice routine received high praise from the judges, earning a score of eight from Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke.
This brought his cumulative score to 32 for his Halloween Week performance, placing him joint fourth on the leaderboard alongside Dani Dyer. Nevertheless, there are growing concerns for Olympian Tabitha 'Tabby' Stoecker after her Quickstep routine failed to impress the judging panel.
Despite receiving a 10 from two judges the previous weekend and claiming the highest score of the series to date, she has found herself propping up the leaderboard during Halloween Week after receiving a total of just 25. With a triple dance-off set to take place for the first time in Strictly history this weekend, the Olympian could be amongst the couples battling to remain in the competition.
Strictly Come Dancing is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
