'It feels like a broken heart': AJ Odudu weeps over missing 'Strictly' final
AJ Odudu has described the heartbreak of missing out on the Strictly Come Dancing final as she wept over the dances she should have been performing.
TV presenter Odudu and her pro dancer partner Kai Widdrington announced yesterday that they would not be in the final on medical advice after she damaged the ligaments in her ankle.
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Appearing in the live final to talk to host Claudia Winkleman about missing taking part, Odudu cried about her disappointment.
AJ and Kai you'll always be #Strictly Finalists! 💜@AJOdudu @Kaiwidd pic.twitter.com/qoO9NnO7mf
— BBC Strictly ✨ (@bbcstrictly) December 18, 2021
She also brought Winkleman to tears as she said: "I don't know how to describe what it feels like to have a broken heart, but that's what it feels like.
"I've been putting on a brave face, Kai's been putting on a brave face, we've loved the show tonight, they've been incredible, John and Johannes, Rose and Giovanni, but we wanted to be on the dancefloor with them. We've been swallowing tears throughout most of the night."
Odudu broke down further as she explained how proud she was of what she had achieved on the show.
She said through her tears: "Every week we said dance like it's your last and I'm so glad we did that because we didn't know that our last dance was our last dance."
Talking about her injury, she also said: "I'm so sad to be going out of this competition with an injury, it's not how I wanted to leave. But we must not forget all of the joy that was had on that dancefloor, I have loved it."
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Last night, Widdrington was also in tears on spin-off show Strictly: It Takes Two as they spoke about having to drop out of the competition.
Rose Ayling-Ellis and her partner Giovanni Pernice, and John Whaite and Johannes Radebe were the only two couples left in the final.
Watch: Who is Strictly's AJ Odudu?