DIY SOS star Nick Knowles has broken his silence after being eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing on Sunday evening alongside his dance partner, Luba Mushtuk.
During the results show, the 62-year-old went up against X Factor star Shayne Ward and his dance partner Nancy Xu.
© Guy LevyJudges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, and Anton Du Beke won the majority vote as they all chose to save Shayne and Nancy, with head judge Shirley Ballas agreeing with their decision.
Taking to Instagram following his departure, Nick wrote: "Well, that’s the end of the road for me on @bbcstrictly but after the injury last week, getting back on the dance floor felt like a win in itself!
"Gutted I couldn’t stay longer to bring the amazing dances super talented @lubamushtuk had planned to life, but it’s been a fantastic journey. Wishing the best of luck to all the competitors - they’re such a lovely bunch. It’s been a lot of fun, and a reminder that it’s never too late to try something new! Thank you so much to everyone for all their support."
© Guy LevyHis fans and friends were quick to send messages of support in the comments section. One remarked: "Sad to see you go, Nick you should be very proud of yourself you did an amazing job!" while a second added: "Sorry to see you go but you have been an absolute trooper."
Meanwhile, a third replied: "Well done to the both of you – amazing. Going to miss watching you on the show."
The TV star also spoke about his time on Strictly during Sunday's results show.
After being eliminated from the competition, he told host Tess Daly: "I've really, really been surprised by how much I've loved doing it and by two things that happen.
© Guy Levy"One is how much you care each week, and the other is how much you don't want to let down your partner. The only reason I could do this is simply because of Luba's changes, she's been amazing."
Praising his dance partner, Nick went on to say: "Luba's been amazing and just been so fabulous every day."
Nick returned to the competition on Saturday after he was forced to pull out of Movie Week due to a knee injury.
During an appearance on It Takes Two, the presenter explained: "During our rehearsal today… Unfortunately I damaged my knee and it's quite painful. So the physios have decided I need to go for an MRI."
© @nickknowles/InstagramLuba added: "Unfortunately we will not be dancing tomorrow but we really, really hope that the knee will be better for next week and we'll be back on the dancefloor. Fingers crossed, we really hope that we'll be back and see you guys very soon."
© Guy LevyDuring Saturday's show, the pair performed a lively Charleston to 'Rain On The Roof' from the Paddington 2 soundtrack. Craig praised Nick's character, while Anton dubbed the dance a piece of "musical theatre" and Motsi welcomed them back saying: "I think it takes a lot of courage, you came back."
Topping the leaderboard, nonetheless, was Love Island star Tasha Ghouri who bagged the first 10s of the series with her Western-themed Charleston to Anne-Marie and Shania Twain's 'Unhealthy'.
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