STRICTLY dance-off devotees were convinced they had spotted a few serious clues one pro partner had given up last night.
After watching the dance off between DIY SOS star Nick Knowles and his dance partner, many fans headed to X, formerly Twitter, to make their feelings about Luba Mushtuk clear.
Celebrities and pro dance partners get ready for their appearance on the live show of Saturday’s Strictly Come Dancing[/caption]
Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk perform their delayed movie week dance[/caption]
The 34-year-old Russian-British dancer and choreographer had clearly hit a nerve, with one saying: “Luba made no effort in that dance off whatsoever. She’s over it,”
Another commented: “She’s probably got the worst actual dances to dance offs ratio on the show so you can hardly blame her.”
One viewer accused her of giving up completely, saying: “Litrrallyyyy she was basically walking at the end.”
Many fans accused her of causing the defeat for the TV star, who had suffered a string of disasters in the lead up to this weekend’s shows.
Nick suffered a dance dilemma after a freak accident the day after the first live show, when he badly injured his shoulder changing a tyre on his broken down car.
He was left with his arm in a sling, and it wasn’t until the last minute that he was confirmed to be fit enough to take to the dance floor.
In another cruel twist, he injured his knee after falling during rehearsals leaving him unable to take part in the previous weekend’s movie-themed special.
Although he was cleared to dance by the medical and physio teams on Friday, it left him little time to rehearse for the show, where the pair performed a Charleston to Rain On The Roof from the Paddington 2 soundtrack.
Following the dance off judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke opted to save Shayne Ward and his dance partner Nancy Xu, leaving Nick and Luba as the third celebrity couple to leave the show.
Speaking to Tess Ward afterwards Nick said: “I’ve really, really been surprised by how much I’ve loved doing it and by two things that happen.”
“One is how much you care each week, and the other is how much you don’t want to let down your partner. “
“The only reason I could do this is simply because of Luba’s changes, she’s been amazing.”
Luba commented: “I’ve never met someone as determined as you, and I remember you saying that if you do your best, you’ll be very happy. I think you did more than your best. Thank you.”
The 62-year-old has previously described training for the show as one of the “toughest” things he’s ever had to do.
Sharing a post on Instagram, alongside a selfie of himself and Luba in their latest performance, he said: “Well, that’s the end of the road for me on @bbcstrictly. But after the injury last week, getting back on the dance floor felt like a win in itself!”
“Gutted I couldn’t stay longer to bring the amazing dances super talented @lubamushtuk had planned to life, but it’s been a fantastic journey. “
“Wishing the best of luck to all the competitors – they’re such a lovely bunch. “
“It’s been a lot of fun, and a reminder that it’s never too late to try something new!”
“Thank you so much to everyone for all their support.”
Luba also paid tribute to Nick on her Instagram last night saying: “I might not have another chance to be on the dance floor with you, @nickknowles, but I’ve had the honour of partnering with an incredible man and a brilliant student.”
Nick and Luba were unanimously voted off after their dance off against Shane Ward and Nancy Xu[/caption]
Nick looked visibly emotional after the couple were voted off as the third celebrity pair to leave the hit show[/caption]
Many fans believed Luba had simply given up[/caption]
