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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Judi James & Alan Johnson & Judi James

Body language expert Judi James lifts lid on Strictly's Ellie and Nikita's chemistry

TV body language expert Judi James singled out Strictly Come Dancing's Ellie Simmonds and her professional partner Nikita Kuzmin for praise on Saturday night after the pair's chemistry came to the forefront during their performance.

The pair wowed viewers with a magical waltz, scoring them an impressive 30 from the judges, which leaves them fifth on the leaderboard after the first two weeks of action.

Following their dance, which was performed to Elvis Presley's Can't Help Falling In Love, 27-year old Ellie appeared emotional and wiped away tears as the judges give their feedback.

That feedback included head judge Shirley Ballas ' comment: "There's so much magic in something so simple and that's what you did today. It was just beautifully executed."

The pair's waltz, which scored 30, gave Judi goosebumps (BBC/Guy Levy)

After the show, meanwhile, Judi revealed to the Mirror that the waltz gave her goosebumps.

"You always know when you're seeing potent chemistry out there on the dancefloor because you get goosebumps while watching the routine," she explained.

"First of the season went to Ellie and Nikita tonight, who produced a truly romantic waltz that included some excellent body language rapport."

Judi went on to praise Ukrainian professional Nikita, after the 24-year old displayed signs of affection towards his Paralympian partner, before explaining that his actions signal growing signs of trust.

"Nikita has stopped performing his matinee idol smile to camera every few minutes in a bid to get votes and turned his attention on Ellie instead," said Judi.

"He rubbed his thumb tenderly on her neck as they listened to the judges and this gesture alone suggests high levels of mutual trust are building up between the couple."

Judi praised Nikita's affection towards Ellie as the pair listened to the judges' feedback (BBC)

Judi then pointed out that Ellie's 'happy tears' show how genuine she and invested in the Strictly journey already, before adding that the pair have also developed a mutual sense of humour, which stands them in good stead for the weeks ahead.

"There are always so many tears shed on Strictly that they need a mop handy at all times, but Ellie’s were happy tears and they looked genuine as her shoulders rose and dropped and her hands pressed onto her thighs as she shed them," Judi revealed.

"The couple seem to have developed a mutual sense of humour, too. As they held their romantic pose at the end of their dance you could see both their torsos shaking with laughter at the same time."

Earlier this week in the rehearsal studio Nikita and Ellie chatted about how they were adapting the waltz for the sportswoman's achondroplasia dwarfism – and were both proud of breaking new ground.

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