Strictly Come Dancing star Tony Adams reveals he and professional partner Katya Jones had a huge argument ahead of Saturday night's live show.
The football legend compared their backstage row to a telling off from his old Arsenal boss. He said: "The last time I've been told off like that was by George Graham and I left the dressing room."
The 56-year-old held "crisis" talks backstage after becoming overwhelmed by fear doing the dress rehearsal. The sportsman, who has repeatedly avoided the dance-off due to voting fans, performed American Smooth to With A Little Help from My Friends, by Joe Cocker, reports the Mirror.
The judges gave the pair a total score of 26 - leading Tony to accidentally swear with joy on live TV.
He stunned head judge Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and Revel Horwood for all the right reasons with his latest performance to climb up the leaderboard and earn some scarcely heard praise from the panel.
It has now been revealed his epic performance came hours after Tony locked horns with Katya as they held a 'crisis talk' backstage.
Tony admits he had a confrontation with his Russian partner, who delivered some "home truths" which gave him motivation to produce his best score to date. "I was full of fear beforehand. We had a team talk," the former Arsenal captain told host Rylan Clark on It Takes Two.
"She [Katya] came into my dressing room after our dress rehearsal and told me a few home truths about me holding back. I think she admits it could have gone either way.
"I could have thrown my toys out of the pram and gone home. But I fought back the fear and just kind of went for it."
Katya replied: "What you said is right, I took a risk. It could have fallen apart or it could have given him that extra fire in his belly. I took a risk because I thought that's what he needs right now. It definitely did pay off."
He was forced to apologise after making an explicit remark during Saturday night's live show when he got a bit too excited after the judges showered him with endless praise.
He was visibly thrilled with Craig Revel Horwood's praise, as he said the performance was 'better' than last week's, which saw Tony erupt into a dance and he spun around the dance floor before pumping his fists at the audience in cheer.
Moments later, Strictly host Claudia Winkleman was forced to apologise on behalf of Tony after she revealed that he had used some 'fruity language' amid his excitement. Tony gasped as he clasped his hands to his face before saying: "Did I say something? Oh I'm sorry. I was so excited Claudia."
Tony dedicated his performance to the people who helped him overcome his addiction struggles, and he was praised by fans following the show after he broke down in tears while thanking those who stood by him through tough times.
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