News presenter Dan Walker has launched a passionate defence of his former BBC Strictly partner Nadiya Bychkova following her departure from the latest series.
The former BBC Breakfast host has waded into the uproar sparked by Bychkova and her celeb partner Tom Dean's dumping following their dance-off against Neil Jones and Toyah Willcox.
Willcox finished bottom of the leaderboard following her first two dances of the series while Dean ended up in a respectable 10th spot.
However, the public vote meant Dean faced Willcox in the dreaded dance-off and after performing one final time, Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse and Craig Revel Horwood opted to send Dean home.
The decision sparked claims of a "fix" among angered Strictly viewers and even prompted Bychkova to issue a cryptic response soon after saying she "wasn't ready" to discuss the results.
But while Bychkova wasn't "ready" to address her exit soon after the results show, former partner Walker had no such problems with his blistering verdict on the outcome.
Nadiya Bychkova and Dan Walker competed in the 2021 series BBCTaking to X, Walker slammed the judges' verdict, writing: "What just happened on Strictly feels a bit messed up. @tomdean00’s departure will go down as one of THE early shocks.
"Lovely bloke who really could have become a great dancer. He looked like he was loving every second of it and @NadiyaBychkova looked like she loved teaching him.
"I’m not an expert - and I’m happy for someone to explain - but how he lost that dance off is completely beyond my comprehension.
"Genuinely thought they could have gone a long way," Walker signed off to his 794.9k followers.
What just happened on Strictly feels a bit messed up.@tomdean00’s departure will go down as one of THE early shocks. Lovely bloke who really could have become a great dancer. He looked like he was loving every second of it and @NadiyaBychkova looked like she loved teaching him.… pic.twitter.com/5XDZde8u4B
— Dan Walker (@mrdanwalker) September 29, 2024
Bychkova hasn't publicly responded to her former Strictly partner's verdict but the Ukrainian professional did return to social media following her initial cryptic post to eventually share a statement on the saga.
Alongside a selfie of her and Dean, Bychkova penned: "I want to say thank you for all the amazing messages tonight. Tom had so much to give and I had so much I wanted to teach him.
"His improvement in the last 2 weeks has been incredible and I think, actually I know, he could have become a brilliant dancer.
"I’m devastated that you won’t get to see that. My 3-time Olympic Champion was an amazing student and is a wonderful gentleman.
"He will go on to bigger and better things and I know this year he could have had a brilliant Strictly story.
"I love this show and I want to wish the other couples all the best and I’m sure it’s going to be a great series. Thank you for your kindness." (sic)
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Speaking to Tess Daly after their elimination, Dean was full of praise for both Bychkova and the show itself.
"I’ve had the best time the last few weeks and getting to work with Nadiya has been incredible. I wish I could have gone further and done more dances," he said.
"I’ve had the most fun and I wish we could keep going longer and longer. We’ll still go out for loads of brunches I’m sure."
Bychkova echoed on the night: "To get to know him, he’s not just a three-time Olympic champion he’s a true gentleman and he taught me how to work really hard and how to put everything in.
"And you know what? On this programme, sometimes to win, you don’t need to win, and that’s how I feel this year."
