The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Adams bows out of Strictly due to injury
Tony Adams has been forced to withdraw from Strictly Come Dancing with an injury, saving Tyler West from the dance-off.
The former England footballer, 56, hurt himself on Saturday night, giving presenter and DJ West, 26, a free pass through to next week’s Blackpool special.
He ended up in the dreaded dance-off after failing to impress the judges with a jive to Land Of 1,000 Dances by Wilson Pickett, earning just 24 and bottom place on the leaderboard.
Fleur East, meanwhile, topped the leader board, scoring 39 with an energetic samba to Hot Hot Hot by Arrow.
On last night’s show, cohost Tess Daly said: “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.”
Adams, who was partnered with Katya Jones, described his experience on the show as “emotional”, adding: “I cried for the first month.”
The former sportsman 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.”
Jones praised her celebrity partner for pushing through despite a series of low scores from the judges.
She said: “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.”
Praise came from head judge Shirley Ballas, who said: “Tony, on behalf of the judges, we’ve enjoyed watching every second, you are truly what this show is all about.”