BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Shayne Ward's defiant message after fans slam 'fixed' exit

Shayne Ward delivered an emotional concession as he lost the latest dance off.

was one of the celebrities taking part in the 2024 season of the and he was paired with professional dancer 33. But this weekend, his became more of an Ex factor as he is now officially a former contestant on the show.

After delivering a Rumba to the sound of Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper, Shayne and Nancy found themselves in the dance off against opera singer Wynne Evans and his dance professional partner Katya Jones. Judges Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse voted to save Shayne and Nancy - but then Anton Du Beke caused a split by voting to save Wynne and Katya.

Head judge then had the deciding vote and she too voted to save Wynne and Katya meaning Shayne and Nancy were dumped from the contest - and with the defeat being extra bitter this weekend as this also means they missed out on going to Blackpool.

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Gracious in defeat, Shayne said during his exit interview: "I just want to say, you guys up there [the other contestants in the Clauditorium] are a dream. Every single day, coming in here and seeing you guys you helped me so much. I want to say thank you to the audience as well, for always being amazing for us all. This has been, honestly, one of the best things I've ever done.”

He continued: “I'm proud that I made it to eight weeks as a novice dancer. A massive thank you goes to this incredible human right next to me [Nancy], who has put so much fire in me and made me believe that I can actually achieve more if I let myself go. I'm sorry it didn't work out to the end, but I'm super proud that I got to meet you [to Nancy] and dance with you, so thank you.”

Nancy also had positive words to say about her experience, gushing: “I'm beyond proud of this dance partnership. Shayne from week one until this point, every second you put your feet on the dancefloor you improved yourself. You're a deep thinker, you always doubt yourself, you never believed yourself, but I never ever questioned you. When I watch you, I feel proud because I've turned someone who has never ever danced in their life into an amazing dancer. You should believe in yourself. I adored this partnership.”

Viewers were less than impressed, however, with many lashing out at the judges online and accusing the show of being rigged against the couple. One raged on X: "I am gobsmacked absolutely unbelievable, Wynne is always soooooo ridged like a cardboard cutout ... Shayne was by far the better dancer, massive fix !! @ShirleyBallas #strictly #joke #farce #fix."

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