After the news of their elimination on Strictly Come Dancing, both AJ Pritchard and Saffron Barker took to their respective Instagram pages to express their sadness as they thanked their fans for their support in the competition. The YouTube sensation and her pro found themselves in the dance-off on Sunday night after they scored 26 points for their Samba to Walking On Sunshine by Take Me To Rio Collective. They were joined by TV presenter Karim Zeroual and Amy Dowden, who performed their couple's choice (contemporary) to Drops Of Jupiter by With Confidence.
© Photo: BBCAJ Pritchard and Saffron Barker left Strictly on Sunday night
"So so many emotions… I am so sad because my Strictly journey is over but smiling because I so proud of myself for how far I've come" Saffron told her followers. "Sometimes you’ve got to give yourself a pat on the back and tell yourself you did good and that’s exactly what I’m doing right now." She added: "Thank you all for your continued support and to my amazing team (you know who you are) and of course to my incredible partner @aj11ace!! I couldn't have wished for anyone else to of been partnered with. When I look back to week 1 and how nervous and scared I was, you always believed in me. Thank you for your patience and all your laughs."
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Meanwhile, AJ rushed to heap praise on his dance partner, writing: "I'm so happy and proud of this young lady. Saffron has defied my expectations at every turn, attacking each week with positivity and a lust for life to inspire the nation. Just thank you for creating the most memorable and fantastic Strictly 2019 season for me. You will always be my 2019 Strictly Come Dancing Winner."
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Their surprise exit comes days after the pair predicted that their journey could come to an end this weekend. Appearing on Wednesday's It Takes Two, Saffron said of her Samba: "It's tough. AJ's told me it's like one of the hardest dances on the show." The pair also noted that AJ has left the show in previous years after performing that style of dance. "Unfortunately, the past two years, I've gone out on Samba," revealed the professional dancer, to which host Rylan Clark-Neal quipped: "Well, it's been nice knowing you." However, AJ said he was hoping to put the "curse" to bed this year, saying: "This is going to be the year… Samba curse, gone."
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