After Strictly Come Dancing launched back in September, Tony Adams has seen a swell of support from fans despite regularly landing at the bottom of the leaderboard. In Saturday night's live show the Arsenal footballing legend brandished a guitar as he and pro dance partner Katya Jones jived to Land Of 1,000 Dances by Wilson Pickett.
The pair were dancing in a bid to make it to the iconic Blackpool Tower Ballroom next weekend. They pulled out all the stops with a 1960s-inspired routine by impressing the judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and head judge Shirley Ballas as well as the voting public.
However, there were shockwaves on the dancefloor as Tony became the seventh contestant to leave the competition. He ended up in the dreaded dance-off but made the decision to withdraw due to an injury sustained on Saturday night.
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As a result, the dance off did not go ahead and Kiss FM DJ Tyler West and his pro dance partner Dianne Buswell went through to next week’s show. Host Tess Daly explained: “Due to an injury sustained on Saturday night, Tony is unable to take part in the dance off and has decided to withdraw from the competition. This means there will be no dance off tonight and Tyler and Dianne are through to Blackpool.”
Tony, 56, who previously said suffering 'mental breakdown' six years ago led to his Strictly stint, said: “It’s been emotional guys, I cried for the first month. I came in here with one message, if you’ve got an issue with mental health then please don’t suffer in silence and reach out for help.
Little did I know that I was going to learn a lot about myself in the process. I thought this 'journey' rubbish was nonsense, but my god the rollercoaster of emotion. I’ve got to be honest, it’s tough, physically it’s really tough out there, but dancing is really fantastic for you. Go out there and enjoy it and pick up new skills and explore."
He added about his dance partner: "I suppose I had better mention this one [Katya] hadn’t I, she is an exceptional human being, she really is.”
Head judge Shirley said: “Tony, from the very first moment you stepped foot on the floor with your tango, to the last moment and the last kick, you have given us 100% of your heart. You have grown week after week after week, you have become one of the nation’s favourite entertainers."
She added: "On behalf of the judges, we’ve enjoyed watching every second, you are truly what this show is all about, and we can only wish you the very best as you move forward. Please carry on dancing, carry on entertaining people, because you are a star. Well done.”
Katya said: “Tony Adams, I will be forever grateful that I was partnered up with you, do you know what I loved? I loved us, I loved that we didn’t care what people thought, we did every single dance our way!"
She added: "You have come here with a message, you led by example, and put yourself out there, and showed everyone you can do anything. And everyone deserves love and to be loved! I love you.”
The remaining eight couples will take to the dancefloor next when Strictly Come Dancing returns to the Blackpool Tower on Saturday November 19 at 7.45pm, with the results show on Sunday November 20 at 7.20pm on BBC One.
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