Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Brogan-Leigh Hurst

Kevin Clifton admits he's in denial after shock Strictly Come Dancing exit

Kevin Clifton told Strictly Come Dancing fans that he's in denial after he was booted off the show with dance partner Anneka Rice on Sunday night.

The professional dancer, 36, took to the official Strictly Instagram page to share his disappointment following their Charleston routine for Movie Week on Saturday.

But he joked that the pair would perform new routines live from their homes and created a poll so fans could "vote" if they wanted to see it or not.

"I'm in denial that we're out actually, we've been practising all day," Kevin laughed.

While presenter Anneka, 61, joked: "We'll do it in my sitting room on Friday and Kev and Stacey's sitting room on Saturday. You can come along and watch as well."

The pair were booted off on Sunday night's results show (Instagram)

Kevin added: "Tune in at the weekend," before a clip of the pair recreating their last dance appeared on the Instagram story.

The pro said he had found it tough going after being paired with the 61-year-old TV legend.

They did an Instagram poll for fans (Instagram)

Before the series started, Kevin had predicted that he might struggle to get Anneka up to the level required to compete in the BBC dance competition.

This proved to be the case as Anneka's Charleston failed to capture the imagination of either the judges or the viewers at home.

Kevin and Anneka reached week three (Instagram)

The routine only managed to reap 11 points out of a possible 40 and judge Bruno Tonioli said Anneka had "slaughtered" the Kill Bill themed routine.

Following the announcement that Anneka had lost out to former England goalkeeper David James, with his pro partner Nadiya Bychkova, in the dance-off, Kevin was reportedly overheard saying to his fellow dancers, "I told you so."

Taking to Instagram they recreated their final dance (Instagram)

A show insider told The Sun: "Kevin adores Anneka as a person but professionally he knew his chances of making another final were over, especially as she’s struggled with injury and fitness."

The source continued: "All is not lost for Kevin though as he apparently has "a friend for life in Anneka and he loved working with her."

Kevin will not bow out of Strictly completely though as he will now participate in group dances and the pros’ performances.

*Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday at 6.40pm on BBC1

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.