Nikita Kuzmin has taken to Instagram to praise his Strictly Come Dancing celebrity partner, Paralympian Ellie Simmonds.
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Posting a brief video of them performing their Cha Cha Cha, Nikita wrote: "Week 1 and I'm SOOO PROUD of you already Els! I have to admit this was a really fun week with a sassy cheeky Chacha."
WATCH: Ellie Simmonds and Nikita Kuzmin perform their first dance
He added: "Week 1 done. WEEK 2 HERE WE COME!"
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Friends and fans loved the couple's dance, which got a total of 26 points from the judges. "Really enjoyed your dance, one of my favs," one wrote, whilst a second added: "This dance was something else!! So good!!"
Ellie posed up a storm in her Strictly dress
A third remarked: "Absolutely phenomenal Nikita and Ellie. Love your partnership. Really excited for next week."
Nikita's reassuring post comes just a day after the retired swimmer, who has achondroplasia dwarfism which causes a normal-sized torso and short limbs, admitted that she had already been targeted by online trolls.
"I've had it already," Ellie told the Sun. "Some people have said, 'How's the dwarf going to dance?'" "It's sad and it does get to you," she added.
Ellie hasn't let the mean comments get to her, and following Saturday's show, she revealed she was "still on a high".
The couple performed a Cha Cha Cha last weekend
"Last night was out of this world! I'm still on such a high. I wanted to do that dance again and again!! But the best thing is we're back to training first thing tomorrow for our next dance! Whoooo! Sooooo exciting!!" she wrote, before adding: "Dress of dreams! I didn't want to take it off. Make up, Hair and Costume department you humans are something else."
"You were amazing last night!" one commented on her post, whilst another added: "You were amazing Ellie, and looked beautiful, you go girl, backing you all the way xx."