Nikita Kuzmin has broken his silence to post a devastating reaction to his exit from Strictly Come Dancing, as celeb partner Ellie Simmonds stays silent on their unexpected exit.
The couple went from the huge high of getting their best score of the series on Saturday night, when their Charleston to Too Darn Hot got an impressive 33 out of 40, seeing them pass the magical 30 mark for the first time. Both Ellie and Nikita looked delighted at the feedback they received as Strictly fans online also heaped plenty of praise on them.
After finishing second bottom of the leaderboard seven days earlier, the pair were well away from the danger zone this weekend but, unfortunately for them, their score wasn't enough to see them through, after the public had a chance a vote. Just hours later, during filming for the Strictly results show, the pair were dealt the crushing blow of landing in the bottom two for the first time.
And then things went from bad to worse for a shell-shocked Ellie and Nikita as their first appearance in the bottom two proved to be their last as all four judges opted to keep rivals Mollie Rainford and Carlos Gu in the competition. Ellie was really emotional in the immediate aftermath of her elimination, with her then reduced to tears by Nikita as he paid a heartfelt tribute to her as cameras rolled.
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And Nikita was equally crestfallen on Instagram, when he made a lengthy about about struggling to come to terms with his and Ellie's exit. He wrote: "Didn’t want to write this so early, but here we go...Our Strictly journey came to an end. Earlier than we wanted, but boy I’ve loved every single moment with you."
Honouring Ellie, Nikita continued: "You’re the most beautiful, pure, sincere, genuine, loving human. I may have taught you dancing but you taught me so much about compassion, sincerity, love and so much about about life. Keep doing incredible things the way you do.
"This has been without a doubt one of my most special times in my life. You’ve inspired me as a choreographer as well as inspiring me in life. I am beyond grateful for every single second that I got to spent with you."
The pro ended the heart-wrenching post by writing:@ "Not sure what I’ll do without you talking to me non stop for a whole day."
It wasn't just fans who shared in Nikita's upset at him and Ellie getting the Strictly axe, Fleur East, who has survived the dance-off twice, reacted: "You are both so wonderful! So sad to see you go! But you were amazing to watch and to share this experience with," while Gorka Marquez reacted " You guys were a joy to watch!! @nikita__kuzmin i am so proud of you and what you did this series!!! You are a talented man and a true gentleman."
Fleur's professional dance partner Vito Coppola was as emotional as her, replying: "You made me cry yesterday and now, after this post and these words Love you guys."
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