Sam Quek, the latest Strictly Come Dancing star to be eliminated, was left “gutted” by the result, which has been branded a “travesty” by viewers.
With the 20th series of the BBC dancing competition at its halfway mark, certain celebrities who were expected to make it far are now finding themselves being sent home.
After an emotional episode that saw professional dancer Amy Dowden in tears over her temporary replacement’s show-stopping performance with JB Gill, Sunday’s results show episode (3 November) saw Gladiators star Montell Jordan end up in the bottom two alongside hockey player Sam Quek.
However, it was Quek and her professional partner Nikita Kuzmin who were sent home by all four judges after performing the dreaded dance off.
Quek couldn’t hide her disappointment, telling host Tess Daly after that she was “gutted” by her elimination. Explaining precisely why this was, she added: “I’m gutted because I do feel like I still have more to give.”
In a follow-up post discussing her departure from the show on Facebook, Quek continued: “Losing a dance off isn’t great. In fact, the competitor in me hates it, but Montell is a better dancer than me and this is a dance competition after all – so fair do’s.”
She credited the show with bringing “that spring in my step back” after what she said has been a “quiet” few years, but said it “was tougher than I imagined” as she “sacrificed everything I needed to and still ended up towards the bottom of the leaderboard” each week.
Quek wrote: “I must stress, I knew what I was signing up for. And when I commit to something, I give it everything I have for as long as I have to. I have no regrets about what I put into this process. That’s why I cannot be too sad about leaving. I gave everything I had. I fell short and that’s ok, because there was nothing more I could have done.”
During the results show, Quek also pointed out what she has admitted was a misconception she previously had about the show when she was watching along as a viewer, telling Daly: “I’m guilty of watching the competition and thinking ‘how do they have that relationship as a celebrity and a dancer?’
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
“All I can say is, the time you spend with each other and what you bring out in each other. It really is, and it sounds dead cheesy, magical.”
Quek’s elimination follows the departures of Dr Punam Krishan, footballer Paul Merson, singer Toyah Willcox, presenter Nick Knowles and Olympian Tom Dean.
With the 20th series of the BBC dancing competition at its halfway mark, certain celebrities who were expected to make it far are now finding themselves being sent home.
Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday 9 November on BBC One.