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strictly kevin clifton replacing neil jones

Strictly's Kevin Clifton speaks out after replacing Neil Jones on Halloween show

The Strictly pro danced with Alex Scott after Neil injured himself

Hanna Fillingham
US Managing Editor
October 27, 2019
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Strictly star Kevin Clifton saved the day on Saturday night as he stepped in last minute to dance with Alex Scott during the Halloween special. Alex's professional dance partner Neil Jones was unable to perform after injuring himself and the former football star had to teach Kevin the routine in a short space of time before the live show. After receiving impressive nines from some of the judges, Alex and Kevin were delighted, and the pro later took to Instagram to praise her on her dance. Alongside a photo of the pair on the dance floor, he wrote: "Unbelievable performance from @alexscott2 last night. @mr_njonesofficial and myself were so proud of her."

strictly neil jones injured

Strictly star Kevin Clifton replaced Neil Jones last-minute after he suffered an injury ahead of Halloween week

Kevin continued: "At the last minute her partner gets an injury. Has to pass the routine on to another professional in about 45mins. Then even when I made a mistake she carried on and got me through the routine. Talk about calm under pressure. Just shows how difficult it is to get to a performance on a Saturday that comes together. It also shows how far @alexscott2 has come in 6 weeks and what fantastic work @mr_njonesofficial has been doing. They both deserve so much love. Hopefully you’ll be back on your feet Neill. I want to see you 2 do that routine together in the final!"

MORE: Stacey Dooley and Neil Jones react to Alex Scott and Kevin Clifton's dance

strictly kevin clifton replaces neil jones

Kevin and Alex Scott danced together - receiving a lot of praise from viewers at home

Many of Kevin's fans were quick to praise him for stepping in so quickly, with one writing: "Always vote for Alex and Neil, fab couple, well done King Kev for stepping in at the last minute. Loved it!" Another wrote: "Alex is a fighter! Loved her in that dace last night and you were okay too Kev! Imagine knowing Neil Jones and Kevin Clifton both have your back. What a team." A third added: "Great to see you dance again too Kevin. And well done Alex!"

READ: Anton du Beke does something he's never done before during Strictly's Halloween week

While Kevin was a popular choice with fans to replace Neil for the night, other viewers felt that it should have been Gorka Marquez instead, who wasn't given a celebrity dance partner this year. On Twitter, many Strictly fans tweeted their opinion on the decision, and Gorka himself re-tweeted some of them. One read: "Why haven't you got a partner this year? @bbstrictly come on, he's an amazing dancer!" Another fan had written: "For real @gorkamarquez1 would have been perfect to dance with Alex tonight since Neil couldn't due to injury. Safe to say Gorka deserves a lot of appreciation." Gorka also re-tweeted one that read: "@gorkamarquez1 Such a shame you couldn't help Alex tonight!"

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