AJ Odudu has put on a strong front following the sad news that she has been forced to withdraw from the Strictly Come Dancing 2021 final, reuniting with her mum for a smiley selfie.
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In the black and white photo, which was shared by fellow Strictly contestant, Dan Walker on his Instagram account, AJ and her mother Florence can be seen beaming ear to ear with their arms wrapped around each other in a tight hug.
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"It was lovely to spend some time with @ajodudu and her lovely mum - Flo - last night," Dan captioned the sweet snap. "AJ is obviously gutted to miss the final but her mum is so proud of the daughter who has grown into the most beautiful dancer. Sometimes in life… you just need a hug from your mum."
Dan's followers soon flooded the comment section below the post with messages of support for AJ. "AJ is one of those people with the warmest soul, that literally glows out of her. What a beautiful photo," one wrote while another said: "Flo is as beautiful as AJ!"
AJ and her mum Florence looked radiant in the photo
Someone else commented: "OMG what a beautiful photo! Yep, sometimes you just need a hug from your mum," and a fourth added: "Love this, thank you for sharing it!"
Her mum wasn't the only one AJ caught up with on Friday evening after announcing that she and dance partner Kai Widdrington would be withdrawing from the competition just 24 hours before the final.
AJ also enjoyed a meal with several other former contestants
In another photo shared to Dan's Instagram page, AJ could be seen sitting around a dinner table with former contestants Ugo Monye, Sara Davies, Adam Peaty, Judi Love, Rhys Stephenson, Katie McGlynn and of course, Dan himself.
On Friday afternoon, the presenter and her dance partner Kai confirmed their decision to leave the competition after AJ suffered a devastating foot injury.
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The news was confirmed by the BBC in a statement that read: "AJ Odudu and Kai Widdrington are having to withdraw from Strictly Come Dancing and will not compete in tomorrow's Grand Final.
"After consulting medial professionals regarding her recent injury, the decision has been made that sadly AJ cannot dance in Saturday's final."
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