Tony Adams taps out of Strictly in Week Eight
Tony Adams and his Pro partner Katya Jones became the seventh couple to leave Strictly Come Dancing after making the decision to withdraw from the competition.
The pair performed a Jive to Land of 1000 Dances by Wilson Pickett on Saturday night, but found themselves in the bottom two after the Judges' scores had been combined with the public vote. Tony and Katya were set to face Tyler West and Dianne Buswell, but the Dance Off did not go ahead.
Tess explained: “Due to an injury sustained on Saturday night, Tony is unable to take part in the Dance Off and has decided to withdraw from the competition. This means there will be no Dance Off tonight and Tyler and Dianne are through to Blackpool.”
Following the decision, Head Judge Shirley Ballas said: “Tony, from the very first moment you stepped foot on the floor with your Tango, to the last moment and the last kick, you have given us 100% of your heart. You have grown week after week after week, you have become one of the nation’s favourite entertainers. On behalf of the Judges, we’ve enjoyed watching every second, you are truly what this show is all about, and we can only wish you the very best as you move forward. Please carry on dancing, carry on entertaining people, because you are a star. Well done.”
When asked by Tess about his time on the show, Tony said: “I came in here with one message, if you’ve got an issue with mental health then please don’t suffer in silence and reach out for help."
"Little did I know that I was going to learn a lot about myself in the process. I thought this ‘journey’ rubbish was nonsense, but my god the rollercoaster of emotion. I’ve got to be honest, it’s tough, physically it’s really tough out there, but dancing is really fantastic for you. Go out there and enjoy it and pick up new skills and explore. I suppose I had better mention this one [Katya] hadn’t I, she is an exceptional human being, she really is.”
Katya was then asked if she had any words for her partner, saying: “Tony Adams, I will be forever grateful that I was partnered up with you, do you know what I loved? I loved us, I loved that we didn’t care what people thought, we did every single dance our way! You have come here with a message, you led by example, and put yourself out there, and showed everyone you can do anything. And everyone deserves love and to be loved! I love you.”
From their Fully Monty Samba to their Halloween Quickstep, Tony and Katya have entertained us to the fullest over the past eight weeks. Their absence will really be felt in the Ballroom, but you can catch them together for one last time on Monday's It Takes Two, 6.30pm on BBC Two.
