Tony Adams has become the seventh contestant to leave Strictly Come Dancing after withdrawing because of injury.
The former Arsenal and England captain’s exit meant that Kiss FM DJ Tyler West and his partner, Dianne Buswell, went through to next week’s show without having to take part in a dance-off.
Strictly’s host, Tess Daly, told the audience Adams was unable to participate in the dance-off due to an injury sustained on Saturday night, and so had decided to withdraw from the competition.
Adams, who has spoken candidly about his battles with alcoholism, 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. I suppose I had better mention this one [his dance partner Katya Jones] hadn’t I – she is an exceptional human being, she really is.”
Adams was popular with the studio audience but struggled to impress the judges during his time on the show, regularly finishing bottom of the leaderboard. Last month, when head judge Shirley Ballas, awarded him and Jones a score of four after they danced the cha-cha-cha to the Grandstand theme tune, Adams cried out: “go home, Shirley.”
He apologised the following week and Ballas paid tribute to him on Sunday, telling him: “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. 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.”
Jones told Adams: “I loved us, I loved that we didn’t care what people thought, we did every single dance our way! 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.”
• In the UK, the charity Mind is available on 0300 123 3393 and Childline on 0800 1111. In the US, Mental Health America is available on 800-273-8255. In Australia, support is available at Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14, and at MensLine on 1300 789 978
