Strictly Come Dancing contestant Will Best was moved to tears during Halloween Week as he opened up about the setbacks in his TV career and the support he has received from loved ones.
The 41-year-old presenter became emotional while reflecting on his presenting journey in a video package before his couples' choice routine, which paid homage to his current hosting role with AJ Odudu through the song by Big Brovaz.
A Career of 'Peaks and Troughs'
Before landing his current job on the rebooted ITV show, Will had been the face of several programmes that were later cancelled. He told viewers that his career has been "peaks and troughs".
He said: "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."
He added: "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."
Emotional Tribute to Family Support
A clip aired of Will standing outside the Big Brother house with his co-host, and he confessed that he could not believe he had landed the role. He became visibly emotional when discussing the unwavering support from his closest friends and family throughout his career.
He added: "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..." He then whispered tearfully, "We'll come back to it."
During the segment, his mother, Lindy, said: "Seeing him on television, it's just lovely, and he did that himself through sheer determination, and I feel incredibly proud."
Fans Show Support Online
Viewers quickly took to social media to express their support. One person wrote on X: "God, my heart goes out to you there, Will, losing your 3 TV jobs." Another said: "Aw Will [crying face emoji]."
One fan added: "I really like Will, he seems like such a nice guy, his puppet routine was fun…" While another shared: "Most honest piece of self-reflection I think I've ever seen from a celeb on #Strictly there from Will."
Will and Dianne's couples' choice routine earned high praise from the judging panel, receiving a score of eight from Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke. This brought his total Halloween Week score to 32, placing him joint fourth on the leaderboard alongside Dani Dyer.
Meanwhile, Olympian Tabitha 'Tabby' Stoecker found herself at the bottom of the leaderboard after managing a total of just 25 for her Quickstep routine, despite scoring a 10 from two judges the previous weekend. With a triple dance-off set to take place for the first time in Strictly history this weekend, she could be among the couples battling to stay in the competition. Strictly Come Dancing is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
