Strictly Come Dancing star Nigel Harman has received supportive messages from fans in the comments section of his latest social media post, which encouraged his followers to meditate and practice "self-compassion".
The post comes after Nigel and Katya Jones' epic Cha Cha Cha at the weekend, which earned them 30 points from the judges. While fans loved the performance, they couldn't help but notice the EastEnders star looking a little disheartened after the judges' comments.
Head judge Shirley Ballas told the actor on Saturday: "I have to say… too many mistakes. At least two or three. You have to learn that you come under pressure, it's got to be flawless, there cannot be mistakes."
Fans rushed to his defense on social media, with one person writing: "I really didn't think Nigel was bad at all, I know I'm not a professional but I only notice one mistake not several," while another added: "My heart went out to Nigel tonight, he is a fabulous dancer, I thought Shirley was far too harsh on him."
© BBCThen on Monday, Nigel, who is a meditation coach, took to Instagram with a new post. "Getting a good night's sleep can make all the difference to how the day goes, yet it's not always easy to achieve," he wrote. "A few minutes of meditation before bedtime can help prepare us for sleep by calming our thoughts and letting go of the day's stress. Meditation naturally lowers the heart rate and signals our nervous system to slow down, making it the ideal bedtime ritual.
"There are moments when our mind seems to awaken as we try to sleep, reviewing the events of the day and leaving us feeling anxious and stimulated, even though our bodies are tired."
He then advised his followers to take "a deep breath in" and exhale slowly. "Any thoughts that attempt to capture the attention, allowing them to pass like clouds in the sky," he penned.
"Acknowledging them, then coming back to focus on the breath. No judgement, just gentle awareness. While returning to the breath, take a moment to practise self-compassion, whispering these phrases to yourself.
"May I be at ease. May I let go of thoughts and emotions. May sleep be peaceful and refreshing."
© Guy LevyHe ended the post with: "Repeat as much as you need, then taking one final breath and letting sleep come."
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Fans took to the comments section to praise the star for his advice and shared encouraging messages for Saturday's live show. "Love this thank you! Good luck on Saturday, you're doing amazing!" wrote one person, while another added: "Thank you, Nigel. Sending you a strong squeeze."
A third person commented: "I'm going to try this tonight. Congratulations on your wonderful dance on Saturday. You get my vote every week," while another added: "You are so brilliant on strictly I vote for you every week I really hope you win. Keep up the good work."
Every Strictly Come Dancing winner so far
- 2004: Natisha Kaplinsky (partner Brendan Cole)
- 2004: Jill Halfpenny (partner Darren Bennett)
- 2005: Darren Gough (partner Lilia Kopylova)
- 2006: Mark Ramprakash (partner Karen Hardy)
- 2007: Alesha Dixon (partner Matthew Cutler)
- 2008: Tom Chambers (partner Camilla Dallerup)
- 2009: Chris Hollins (partner Ola Jordan)
- 2010: Kara Tointon (partner Artem Chigvintsev)
- 2011: Harry Judd (partner Aliona Vilani)
- 2012: Louis Smith (partner Flavia Cacace)
- 2013: Abbey Clancy (partner Aljaž Škorjanec)
- 2014: Caroline Flack (partner Pasha Kovalev)
- 2015: Jay McGuiness (partner Aliona Vilani)
- 2016: Ore Oduba (partner Joanne Clifton)
- 2017: Joe McFadden (partner Katya Jones)
- 2018: Stacey Dooley (partner Kevin Clifton)
- 2019: Kelvin Fletcher (partner Oti Mabuse)
- 2020: Bill Bailey (partner Oti Mabuse)
- 2021: Rose Ayling-Ellis (partner Giovanni Pernice)
- 2022: Hamza Yassin (partner Jowita Przystał)
- 2023: Ellie Leach (partner Vito Coppola)
