Strictly Come Dancing fans were shocked tonight as BBC radio presenter Nikita Kanda is the second star to leave the show after losing the dance-off to Love Island's Zara McDermott.
While Nikita gave it her all, and looked absolutely crestfallen to come to the end of her time on the series, fans of the show were disappointed for her, but many also lamented bidding farewell to her dance partner.
The duo were the bookies favourites to be eliminated on tonight's show.
Read more: I won Strictly Come Dancing and this is how to get votes and not be eliminated
Nikita was paired up with Spanish professional dancer Gorka Marquez on the show, and many viewers expressed how they would have loved to see more of him this series.
Gorka Marquez, who is also a talented choreographer, is best known for his role on Strictly.
He has been dancing since he was a child, and represented Spain at the World Latin Championships in 2010.
In 2014, Gorka took a lead role in the global dance phenomenon Burn The Floor - a job which saw him tour the globe.
He then joined Strictly in 2016.
Last weekend, Nikita and Gorka landed in the bottom two with Les Dennis and Nancy Xu.
This week, the judges each outlined why they were choosing to send Nikita home.
Craig Revel-Horwood commented: “The couple I’d like to save had both technique and theatricality, and that couple is Zara & Graziano.”
Motsi Mabuse also said that Kanta made some mistakes that could not be overlooked:
“I thought both couples gave it their best, but one couple made a few mistakes that were quite visible, so that’s why I’m saving Zara and Graziano.”
While it can be very difficult to say goodbye to the show, Gorka shared sweetly that he was so proud of Nikita fof the amazing efforts she gave throughout the show
Speaking with Tess Daly after the elimination, he said: “I am beyond proud of her, for someone that doesn’t have any dance experience or performance experience to come on this show and dance in front of millions of people – for three weeks, I think it’s incredible. You should be very proud of yourself, you have never let me down and I am very proud of you."
"This show is going to teach you so many things about yourself that you can take with you and I take incredible memories. I’ve never laughed so much in three weeks than I did with you!”
Nikita said: “I don’t want to leave yet, I feel like I’ve let him down. I’ve had the best time and I love all my Strictly family, I’m going to miss you all. This has been a dream come true, I’m so grateful."
I’ve got to say the biggest thank you to Gorka, he has been the biggest support and I’ve had the best time ever.”
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