Dan Walker has spoken for the first time since his elimination from Strictly Come Dancing.
He was the contestant to leave the BBC show at the weekend, leaving the competition at the quarter final stage.
Dan’s colleagues on BBC Breakfast paid tribute to his efforts this morning.
Presenting partner, Sally Nugent said: “You have made us smile so much over the last few weeks.
Dan the dancer has come so far, with the brilliant Nadiya guiding him through every step. A partnership to be proud of! #Strictly pic.twitter.com/hrO6vReNvA
— BBC Strictly ✨ (@bbcstrictly) December 5, 2021
“I am so proud of the work that you have done on Strictly in every sense.
“Not just the dancing but the fun and laughter and all the joy you have brought to us on a Saturday night.”
Dan and his partner Nadiya Bychkova dropped into the bottom two for the first time on Saturday and were voted out by the judges following a dance-off with AJ Odudu.
But the presenter said he had no regrets about his time on the show.
He said: “I told Nadiya I wanted us to enjoy this as much as we could, and it lasted a lot longer than I thought it would.
“When you have been through something like that and enjoyed it so much, there is no point being sad that it is over.”
Dan had been the subject of Twitter trolls, angry that he remained in the competition each week despite not being the best dancer.
Well… what a ride!#Strictly has been a truly wonderful experience for me. I enjoyed every second.@NadiyaBychkova is a superstar: kind, encouraging, funny, clever, the best teacher I could ever have hoped for & a great friend.
— Dan Walker (@mrdanwalker) December 5, 2021
Thanks for the support & thanks for having us 😍 https://t.co/OUKDGPN7wk
He had been called a “disgrace” and asked if he was “ashamed” of remaining on the show.
Addressing that on BBC Breakfast this morning, Dan said: “I know there are some people that got angry every week that we had managed to stay in, but the overwhelming love and comments have far outweighed all of that and I want to thank people for that.
“I think the right people are in the semi-finals, they are the best four dancers in the competition.
“My time had come to an end, but to get to the quarter finals of Strictly having never danced before is amazing, and that is all down to Nadiya who has been incredible.”
Dan and Nadiya will be on Strictly – It Takes Two tonight on BBC Two.
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