Fleur East, 35, is through to week eight of the Strictly Come Dancing competition but said a “really hard” goodbye last week. The emotional revelation comes just days after the singer revealed the psychological weight being on the floor actually has for her.
Fleur was one of many contestants to share an emotional goodbye with Ellie Simmonds, 27.
The Paralympian was dropped into the dance-off last week, despite achieving high scores and praise from the judges.
Ellie and Strictly professional Nikita Kuzmin went head-to-head with Molly Rainford, 21, and Carlos Gu, 28.
All four judges voted to save Molly and Carlos, leaving them safe to sway another day.
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As Ellie bid the Strictly stage farewell, cameras panned to her competitors and Vito and Johannes Radebe were both seen misty-eyed and wiping away tears.
The Paralympian promised to keep dancing, gushing over how much she loves it now and thanking Nikita who “changed my life”.
The somber moment became even more emotional as the leaving duo were bombarded by their shocked Strictly co-stars after their last dance.
Now, Fleur is one in a long line of competitors to share a heartfelt tribute to Ellie over social media.
Taking to Twitter and Instagram, the radio host shared: “It was really hard to see Ellie leave the competition last weekend.
“She is genuinely one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met. Inside and out.
“I’m so so glad to have met Ellie and I know she will be a friend for life. You smashed it girl!”
She paired the sweet message with a photo of her and Ellie during Halloween week in their fancy costumes.
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Following their elimination, Nikita Kuzmin appeared on spinoff chat show It Takes Two, saying their exit is “difficult to talk about”.
He added: “We came out there and we really wanted to push so hard, we wanted to prove everybody wrong and you succeeded in that, and honestly, I am so proud of her.”
The Strictly pro joked that he was “jobless now”, adding: “I am going Saturday night to clap now.”
Ellie said they “were shocked” when they ended up in the bottom two after receiving their highest score of the season in the very same episode.
The judges admitted that at this stage of the competition, they are splitting hairs to decide who stays and who goes, meaning every routine has to be as flawless as possible to remain safe.
However, for Fleur, the Strictly stage symbolises so much more than just a dance competition.
The singer revealed in the latest episode that she had lost her dad two years ago, describing the experience as “the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through”.
Fleur added that Strictly was her father’s favourite show and she knows he “is watching over me” each time she steps foot on the dance floor.
Strictly Come Dancing continues on BBC One on Saturday at 6:55pm.
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