BBC Strictly Come Dancing star breaks silence after 'tough' exit

Sam Quek has candidly shared her feelings about being voted off Strictly Come Dancing, expressing that she is "gutted" to have her journey on the BBC One competition come to an end.

The Morning Live presenter and her professional partner Nikita Kuzmin were the most recent pair to leave Strictly following a nail-biting dance-off on Saturday (2 November). They found themselves competing for survival against Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe, but the judges decided to save Montell and Johannes.

During their appearance on the Strictly companion programme It Takes Two on Monday, Sam reflected on their departure, stating she harbours "no regrets" about her stint on the show.

Speaking to host Fleur East, Sam remarked: "It's been a strange 36 hours. But ultimately just proud of what I achieved really. Gutted that I'm going to miss this guy every single day putting up with me learning something new. But I've got no regrets."

Following the broadcast of her exit on Sunday evening, Sam released an extensive statement on social media. She conveyed to her followers her sense of having "more to give" to Strictly, despite her time on the show being unexpectedly brief, reports the Express.

In her heartfelt social media post, Sam told her supporters: "For me... Strictly was tougher than I imagined. I held myself to the highest standard I could and put an expectation on myself that in hindsight may have been unrealistic. But my respect for the show, my partner and my family meant I was going to give the process everything I had."

Sam discussed the impact Strictly had on her home life, but was quick to add: "And must stress, I knew what I was signing up for. And when I commit to something, I give it everything I have for as long as I have. I have no regrets about what I put into this process."

She continued with a positive outlook: "That's why I cannot be too sad about leaving. I gave everything I had. I fell short and that's ok, because there was nothing more I could have done."

Describing Strictly as an "amazing dream" that she will "miss so much", Sam went on to commend Montell as a "better dancer" than herself.

Wrapping up her heartfelt note, Sam expressed her anticipation for the future: "I look forward to whatever my future holds and thank you all for the amazing support and well wishes throughout my Strictly experience," showing gratitude towards her supporters.