Strictly's Shayne Ward explains why he's especially "gutted" over exit

strictly it takes two, shayne ward and nancy xu
Strictly star explains why he's "gutted" over exitBBC

Strictly Come Dancing star Shayne Ward has explained why he's especially "gutted" over his exit.

The former Coronation Street actor and his professional partner Nancy Xu became the seventh couple to exit this year's series after losing out to Wynne Evans and Katya Jones in Sunday's (November 10) dance-off.

The pair had previously survived a dance-off against Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk in week four, and another against Dr Punam Krishan and Gorka Márquez in week six.

During an appearance on It Takes Two tonight (November 11), Shayne revealed that he would have liked to remain in the competition longer so that he could reach his "full potential".

strictly it takes two, shayne ward and nancy xu
BBC

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"I think the thing that I'm most gutted about is that, yes I wanted to get to Blackpool for my mum to come and see me, but I think, more than anything, I knew my full potential wasn't reached yet," he told host Fleur East.

"I felt like I still had so much more left in me to learn from Nancy, so much more I wanted to showcase. That's the thing that I'm going to miss so much."

"I've had the most amazing time, thanks to this beautiful person here [gestures to Nancy]. She brought out the best in me," he added.

Elsewhere in the interview, Nancy explained how Shayne's acting ability "changed" her as a choreographer this year.

"In the beginning I always think, 'More dance, more steps, more technique'," she said.

"But this year, for some reason, I wanted to celebrate with what we've been given – the concept and the story. Shayne's an amazing actor and I can work on that."

tess, shayne and nancy on strictly 2024, a couple wave as they are eliminated from the show
Guy Levy - BBC

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On Saturday (November 11), Shayne and Nancy performed a rumba to Cyndi Lauper's 1983 hit 'Time After Time'.

After scoring 30 points from the judges, they found themselves joint bottom of the leaderboard, alongside Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas.

"I was a bit conflicted because on certain parts I thought you were absolutely outstanding. When you stood still, you didn't quite get that rhythm of the music," said Shirley Ballas.

"Your leading skills have gotten better, your arm styling has gotten better, but what I love, what you're developing, is the chemistry between the two of you."

Motsi Mabuse loved the "sentiment" of the routine, but also criticised Shayne's lack of timing to the music. "You gave us your best, and that counts for something," she added.

Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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