Nigel Harman has broken his silence following his controversial weekend on the ballroom floor of Strictly Come Dancing.
The 50-year-old heartthrob performed a quickstep with dance partner Katya Jones on the long running BBC dance show on Saturday night - as the stars of the show, hosts, judges and crew descended on Blackpool to perform for a live studio audience. And while fans loved Nigel and Katya’s performance, which they smashed out to the sound of Duke Ellington's It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing), the judges were less impressed.
Judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsy Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton du Beke gave bitter feedback and awarded the duo a grand total of 31 points - giving them one of the lowest scores of the night. And Nigel looked visibly disheartened by the sharp criticism, with many viewers flooding social media to share their shock at the short change he was given.
The voting public saved Nigel and Katya, however, meaning they weren’t forced to dance for survival in the dreaded dance off - and unfortunately it was Angela Rippon, 79, and her dance partner Kai Widdrington, 28, who were shown the door during Sunday’s results show. Now Nigel has broken his silence following his disappointing weekend - with a cryptic message about ‘emotions’.
The actor, who also bills himself as a “meditator”, took to social media on Monday morning to share a lengthy post alongside a handsome photo of himself. He wrote: "We are continuing our focus on emotions this week. Today’s meditation explores how practising gratitude regularly can help cultivate a more positive mindset and increase feelings of well-being and contentment.
EastEnders' Jake Wood's snap of son has fans pointing out the pair's likeness"Let’s find a comfortable position…..closing the eyes or lowering the gaze….. Allowing yourself to settle and taking a full breath; in for five, then out for five. Do this a couple of times and when you are ready filling the body with a half-smile of kindness.Imagining a warm, glowing feeling in the chest, growing through the belly and down to your feet, radiating throughout the body. Ask yourself, 'What am I grateful for today?'
"Don’t overthink it, it doesn’t need to be deep, it can be family, friends, or a favourite walk or mug. Just something that brings a little smile or comfort. Bring this image or person to mind and notice how it feels in the body, using a curious, kind attention. Allowing this positive feeling of gratitude to fill the entire being. And when you’re ready, opening the eyes.
"Trying to think about all the things you are grateful for can help bring awareness as you go through the day. Don’t worry if you find this hard initially, asking the question is a good start. Over time you will notice there are things to be grateful for everywhere."
He signed off his message adding: "I encourage you to share below, our gratitude can spread through this chat and out into the world."
Fans reacted to Nigel's post with words of concern and encouragement. One wrote: "I'm grateful that in this world, my biggest concern over the weekend has been your wellbeing... The fact that you've reacted to all the nonsense like a real human instead of a showbiz robot demonstrates that everyone's on a development journey, even those with as much experience as you. Take care of yourself, and thank you for continuing with your interesting and valuable work."