BBC Strictly star Tom Dean breaks silence after he's first to leave show as fans say 'fix'

BBC Strictly Come Dancing fans were left shocked when Olympic gold medallist Tom Dean was first to be booted off the show this weekend. The 24-year-old found himself in the dance off against singer and actress Toyah Willcox, 66, and was axed by head judge Shirley Ballas.

Tom and his dancing partner Nadiya Bychkova were sent home after they performed their Cha Cha to Boogie Wonderland by Earth, Wind & Fire for one last time. Many fans took to social media following the exit to express their dismay.

Nadiya's ex-celebrity partner Dan Walker said: “What just happened on Strictly feels a bit messed up. @tomdean00’s departure will go down as one of THE early shocks. Lovely bloke who really could have become a great dancer.

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"He looked like he was loving every second of it and @nadiyabychkova looked like she loved teaching him. I’m not an expert - and I’m happy for someone to explain - but how he lost that dance off is completely beyond my comprehension. Genuinely thought they could have gone a long way."

Breaking his silence, Tom said: "Coming straight from the Paris 2024 Olympics into Strictly Come Dancing has been a whirlwind but I'm so so proud. The journey may have ended a little earlier than I hoped and of course I am so gutted, but I'm so grateful for all the amazing people I met, people I'll be cheering on throughout and who I know will continue to smash it.

"And to my brilliant partner @nadiyabychkova, thank you so much for everything. You've been an amazing teacher and to have danced alongside you has been an absolute privilege. Over and out Strictly! You've been an absolute blast x"

Nadiya added: “I really appreciate all the messages but I’m not ready to talk about what happened tonight just yet.”

One fan said: "Absolute fix. They obviously have some deal to give Neil more air time this year. Poor Tom. Not on at all."

Another wrote : "No…wrong wrong wrong…..getting fed up with this show now, think the judges must be being told who to save, Tom should have stayed over Torah 100%"

A third added: "Tom has been robbed!! Toyah was by far the worse dancer!!! Absolute Fix."