Katya Jones has shown there’s no bad blood between her and Amber Davies after the Love Island star secured a spot in the Strictly semi-final at her expense.
Ms Jones bid a tearful farewell to this year’s competition during Sunday’s results show after her celebrity partner Lewis Cope failed to impress the judges and voting public.
Mr Cope and Ms Jones had taken on a Salsa inspired by West Side Story for this week’s musicals theme, whereas Ms Davies and Nikita Kuzmin secured a perfect score of 40 for their Charleston.
Despite Ms Davies topping the leaderboard and Mr Cope managing to avoid the bottom spot that was occupied by Karen Carney, the pair ended up meeting in a dance-off that took everyone by surprise.
BBC Strictly: Amber and Nikita embraced Lewis and Katya
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BBC
Judges Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, Craig Revel Horwood, and Motsi Mabuse failed to mask their shock at the result, branding the pair two of the best celebrity competitors the show has ever seen.
Mr Du Beke went as far as to say whichever one of them lost the dance-off would be the most skilled dancer not to have reached the semi-finals.
After they each performed again, the judges unanimously decided to save Ms Davies, prompting a deflated Mr Cope and tearful Ms Jones to say their goodbyes.
While neither has issued a statement ahead of their It Takes Two appearance on Monday evening, both have since returned to social media with a clear gesture towards Ms Davies.
The gesture came in response to Ms Davies, who took to Instagram with a tribute to the Emmerdale actor.
Ms Davies penned: “I will always be your number 1 fan @lewiscope. To go up against one of the greatest dancers Strictly has ever seen was simply terrifying, however I was actually dancing against my best friend in this competition, and that broke my heart.
“Lewis & @katyajones you won this competition as soon as you showed us & the world your couples choice on Halloween week. It was pure perfection just like your partnership.
“Thank you for being mine and @nikita__kuzmin’s champions from day one, that means more to us than anything else.
“You’re both simply the greatest of all time & I love you both immensely,” Ms Davies signed off. (sic)
She also included a series of behind-the-scenes snaps featuring herself, Ms Jones, and Mr Cope.
Ms Jones and Mr Cope proved there was no ill will on their part, with both stars breaking social media cover to like the post.
Several other Strictly alum also liked Ms Davies’s post, including Gorka Marquez, Chris Robshaw, Ellie Goldstein, Julian Caillon, and Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, among others.
BBC Strictly: Katya Jones and Lewis Cope both liked Amber Davies’s statement
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Among the replies to the post was none other than Mr Cope’s brother, Luke, who responded: “Class… thank you and best of luck for the rest of it Amber.”
Ms Davies’s sister Jade also weighed in: “Crazy that that even had to happen!!! Lewis will forever be one of the greats xx.” (sic)
Despite the controversy surrounding his exit, Mr Cope remained gracious as he paid tribute to Ms Jones after learning he was departing the show.
“It’s been more than I could have ever wished for,” he told Tess Daly. “If someone would have said that I’d have done 11 weeks on the show at the beginning, I’d have been over the moon and snap their hand off.
“So, thank you to the full show, to everyone for having a space where people can be themselves, grow, learn, express themselves.
“It’s been incredible and a memory that I’ll have for the rest of my life. I think it’s all down to you,” he said to his partner.
“You’ve literally given me absolutely everything I could wish for as a friend, as a teacher, and yeah, I couldn’t imagine it with anybody else. So, thank you very much.”
Ms Jones was equally full of praise for her partner, replying: “I think you have created so many moments for Strictly Come Dancing that will be in the history books and you will be remembered as one of, if not, the best male celebrity we’ve ever had on the show, but also you will be remembered for being an incredible person you are.
“Kind and genuine people still exist – what a gentleman you are, so humble and so kind.
“And I’m so glad that we had a chance to see you and showcase your talent and what a beautiful person you are to the world. Thank you.”
Balvinder Sopal, George Clarke, and Karen Carney will join Ms Davies in next week’s semi-final.