Former Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope has credited his Strictly Come Dancing professional partner, Katya Jones, with helping him "fall in love with life again" following their unexpected elimination from the competition on Sunday.
The pair found themselves at the bottom of the Strictly leaderboard before losing the dance-off. Judges ultimately opted to save West End star Amber Davies and her professional partner, Nikita Kuzmin, securing their place in the semi-finals.
The elimination came just a week after Cope and Jones had topped the leaderboard and triumphed in the series’ first Instant Dance challenge, marking a significant turnaround in their fortunes.
Speaking on BBC Two’s It Takes Two, Cope reflected on his journey: "We’re just trying to focus on the positives, really. It’s been an amazing 11 weeks and of course, it hurts and it’ll take a bit of time to get over, but I’m really proud of what we’ve done.
It’s not really about dancing or anything. You (Jones) have made me fall in love with dance, but you’ve also made me fall in love with life again. So thank you."
He acknowledged that his family was "gutted" by the result but emphasised the broader positive impact of his time on the show.
"To have them four generations come together every Saturday and to open different conversations that they’ve never really had before, and show different sides to them that I’ve never seen before as well, it’s been really beautiful for me," he said.
Adding his gratitude to viewers: "I’d just like to say thank you to everyone at home because without them I wouldn’t have been here this long."
An emotional Katya Jones described Cope as "one of a kind" and expressed immense pride in their dedication.
"I wouldn’t do anything any differently. We stayed true to ourselves and each number," she stated.
Jones also spoke of overcoming past criticisms: "A lot of my life I was told less Katya, less. But finally, I just needed the right dance partner to match that. We were in a tough position. I feel like we were expected to deliver this almost perfect show-stopping routines every single Saturday, which you did. I don’t know how, but you did because of you. It’s tough, but also I’m really, really proud. We grafted."
She concluded by telling Cope, "We were so lucky, the whole nation, we were so lucky to watch your magic because you are one of a kind and you are made for something extraordinary."
Amber Davies now joins EastEnders actress Balvinder Sopal, internet star George Clarke, and former Lioness and sports broadcaster Karen Carney as the remaining semi-finalists.
The couples will perform two new routines each during next weekend’s semi-final, which airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 6.35pm on Saturday. The results show will follow at 7.45pm on Sunday, featuring performances from Australian singer Kylie Minogue and boyband Five.
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