Ugo Monye performed his first Strictly Come Dancing routine just hours after his father’s funeral.
The sports pundit and former rugby player dedicated his first live performance, a samba to Iko Iko (My Bestie), to his father who died from prostate cancer just weeks ago.
Looking emotional, Ugo issued the heartfelt message after his performance with Oti Mabuse, which Shirley Ballas hailed "a fantastic effort."
Read more: Strictly Come Dancing 2021: Bookies predict which celebrity will go home first ahead of live shows
After getting feedback from the judges, Ugo and Oti joined Claudia Winkleman, who said: “I know you wanted to dedicate this first dance to somebody very special.”
Ugo replied: “Yeah so my dad passed away a couple of weeks ago of prostate cancer.
“We had his funeral this morning and during the funeral they spoke about today being a day of celebration and that’s exactly how today felt.
“There’s no better way of celebrating than by dancing so tonight feels really special.”
Fans sent their love to Ugo as they watched on from home.
“Ugo has my heart! know his father is looking down and feeling proud!,” wrote one viewer.
Another said: “So sorry to hear about the death of Ugos dad,” added a third. “He would have been so proud of you tonight Ugo!!”
While a third said: “Respect to Ugo for going out and performing like that after such loss.”
