Les Dennis breaks his silence after Strictly exit following 'challenges'
Les Dennis has spoken out after being voted off Strictly following Sunday night's dance-off, where he and partner Nancy Xu were bested by BBC presenter Nikita Kanda and Gorka Marquez.
Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, the presenter and comedian broke his silence to share a series of posts from viewers, many of whom were sad to see him go.
The first one he shared suggested judges had made the "wrong decision" and said: "Sad to lose him so early on, deserved longer," to which Les added: "Thank you... Congratulations Nikita."
He also posted two red heart emojis in response to a fan who said: "Ah... well done mate, you gave it your best shot." Nancy, meanwhile, shared a series of videos of their performance on Instagram, along with fans' kind words.
The weekend marked the second live show of the series, and the first time a celebrity was voted off. Les and Nancy were bottom of the leaderboard after two performances, and as Nancy paid tribute to her dance partner on Sunday evening, she mentioned the pair facing "a lot of challenges".
The dancer said: "It's been a journey. This is such a short but a sweet journey. A lot of challenges we all know, but to see you (to Les) every day improve yourself. I respect you so, so much.
"I just want to say thank you to the judges and all my fellow friends. Thank you Strictly Come Dancing for all of your support. Thank you Les."
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When asked by co-host Tess Daly about his time on the show, Les sweetly replied: "I've had the best time, this lady has been amazing, a great teacher, she’s really put me through my paces. I did as well as I could for you, I hope!
"That lot [his fellow contestants] up there, I'm going to miss you so much. I really appreciate and understand the judge's point of view, thank you so much for giving me a 10 for entertainment. I hope I've entertained, that's what I came here for. Strictly is the best and the people who put this on, you're just all amazing!”
The judges' scores this week and last were added to the viewers' votes to decide the lowest-scoring two couples. Both performed their routines again: Nikita and Gorka dancing a Charleston to Beyoncé's Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) and Les and Nancy Xu performing a Samba to Rock The Boat by Hues Corporation.
After both couples had danced a second time, the judges delivered their verdicts, with Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke all choosing to save Nikita and Gorka and head judge Shirley Ballas in agreement.
SEE:Strictly star Nancy Xu's 'neck' injury explained
Strictly viewers had foreseen the result, commenting on social media with their predictions. Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, following Saturday's live show, many suggested that Les and Nancy could be the first to be eliminated.
One wrote: "Sorry, Les - I think you might be dancing again and might go," while another added: "#Strictly so many good dancers. Think Les may go tomorrow."
