Strictly’s Danny John-Jules tells Amy Dowden: You truly inspired me
The couple were the latest to waltz away from the dancefloor.
Danny John-Jules has thanked his Strictly Come Dancing partner Amy Dowden and said he should have expressed his gratitude more often.
The actor was booted out of the competition in Sunday’s results show after making headlines for having a row with Dudley-based Dowden, which she later said was “intense”, although added that she never felt “threatened or bullied” by him.
Responding to a tweet from Dowden, who praised him for his performances and for getting the first 10 of the series, John-Jules wrote: “I should of have expressed my gratitude more often. You truly inspired me.
“I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the knowledge I have taken away with me, curtesy of your good self.”
In another tweet, the Red Dwarf star said he would like to thank the “people of Wales (for) their amazing support”, referring to Dowden’s home.
Replying to BBC Radio Wales host Eleri Sion, he said: “I’m sorry I couldn’t get Amy further.”
He said she is a “great ambassador for dance” and for Wales.
Dowden, originally from Caerphilly in Wales, runs dance academy Art in Motion on the Thornleigh Trading Estate in Dudley with her partner Ben Jones.
John-Jules, 58, and Dowden, 27, were in the bottom two with Graeme Swann and Oti Mabuse after their Caribbean-themed samba to Feels Like Home by Sigala, Fuse ODG, Sean Paul and Kent Jones landed them at the bottom of the leaderboard for the second week in a row.
After both couples danced again, judge Craig Revel Horwood chose to save John-Jules and Dowden.
But Darcey Bussell, Shirley Ballas and Bruno Tonioli opted to save Swann and Mabuse, meaning John-Jules and Dowden were eliminated and will miss out on the chance to perform in Blackpool next week.
The results show was watched by an average of nine million viewers on Sunday, according to overnight ratings, with a peak of 10.2 million viewers.
The previous evening’s episode had seen a ratings boost following the reports of John-Jules and Dowden’s disagreement, drawing an average of 9.9 million with a peak of 10.8 million viewers.
Strictly Come Dancing continues on November 17 at 6.45pm, where the remaining couples will take to the floor in the Blackpool Tower Ballroom.
