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Privacy Notice Olympic swimmer Tom Dean and his professional dance partner Nadiya Bychkova were the first to be shown the exit door after a dance-off with Toyah Willcox and her pro partner Neil Jones. Now, Tom has spoken out for the first time after becoming the first celebrity to leave the dancing competition. Tom took to his Instagram to say: “Coming straight from the Paris 2024 Olympics into Strictly Come Dancing has been a whirlwind but I’m so so proud. The journey may have ended a little earlier than I hoped and of course I am so gutted, but I’m so grateful for all the amazing people I met, people I’ll be cheering on throughout and who I know will continue to smash it.
Tom admitted he is gutted to be leaving the show
(Image: Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire)
“And to my brilliant partner @nadiyabychkova, thank you so much for everything. You’ve been an amazing teacher and to have danced alongside you has been an absolute privilege. Over and out Strictly! You’ve been an absolute blast x.” This is the first time Nadiya has had a partner on the show since 2022, after being replaced by Luba Mushtuk in 2023. Neil Jones also hasn’t had a celebrity partner for several years. Following both couples’ second performance, judges Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse chose to save Toyah and Neil, while Anton Du Beke opted for Tom and Nadia. Head judge Shirley Ballas had the final say and decided to save Toyah and Neil. Nadiya spoke about her exit as soon as the show ended. The dancer took to Instagram to express her hurt as she admitted she’s “not ready to talk about what happened tonight just yet”. She couldn’t hide her admiration for her dance partner Tom when Tess Daly quizzed her about their journey on the show. She said: “To get to know him, he’s not just a three-time Olympic champion he’s a true gentleman and he taught me how to work really hard and how to put everything in. And you know what? On this programme, sometimes to win, you don’t need to win, and that’s how I feel this year.”
Strictly Come Dancing fans have been left fuming as Tom Dean was the first to be axed from the show
(Image: BC Public Service/Ray Burmiston)
Ex-Strictly star Dan Walker has parked rumours of a fix on the dance show as Nadiya and Tom were voted off. Dan, who danced with Nadiya in 2021, didn’t hold back as he expressed his disbelief on social media shortly after the announcement, writing a long, very candid post. “What just happened on Strictly feels a bit messed up,” he began.” @tomdean00’s departure will go down as one of THE early shocks. Lovely bloke who really could have become a great dancer. He looked like he was loving every second of it and @nadiyabychkova looked like she loved teaching him.” He continued: “I’m not an expert – and I’m happy for someone to explain – but how he lost that dance off is completely beyond my comprehension,” he continued. “Genuinely thought they could have gone a long way.”
Dan Walker danced with Nadiya in 2021 and expressed his shock that Tom was eliminated
(Image: BBC/Guy Levy)
Ahead of the show’s launch, Tom confirmed his participation soon after he secured a place in the men’s 200 metres individual medley finals – despite the BBC show keeping its whole line-up under wraps before the official launch. Taking inspiration from his Team GB companion Adam, 29, who enjoyed a successful stint and finished ninth alongside Katya Jones on the show in 2021, Tom said: “Naturally you want to take a break after you’ve had a full Olympic cycle and the opportunity arose. I thought it would be really exciting to try something a bit different. I’ll be doing that and straight back into training after it. It’s something to look forward to.”Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnCraig Revel HorwoodNeil JonesShirley BallasTess DalyAnton Du BekeStrictly Come DancingTom Dean
