Strictly pro dancer Kai Widdrington admits Angela Rippon exit 'felt right'

20 November 2023 , 21:26

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Strictly pro dancer Kai Widdrington admits Angela Rippon exit 'felt right'

Strictly Come Dancing professional Kai Widdrington has admitted his time coming to an end on the show "felt right".

The Strictly star was partnered with TV presenter and journalist Angela Rippon and impressed the judges and viewers throughout their time together. However Kai and Angela's journey came to an end on Sunday night after they were placed in the bottom two alongside soap star Bobby Brazier and his partner Dianne Buswell.

They had made it to the live show at Blackpool's Tower Ballroom where they performed their American Smooth to Tea For Two by Ella Fitzgerald. Angela and Kai appeared on It Takes Two where they reflected on their time together to host Fleur East. Angela opened up on her time in Blackpool and how she worked on the original show Come Dancing.

The dancer admitted it 'felt right' to leave the show (BBC)

She shared: "It was quite fun to relive some of those memories. Many of the professionals, many of their parents and their teachers had been competitors when I had been presenting the programme. Shirley Ballas in fact competed and was in the programme when I presented it. It was fascinating from that point of view to get that full circle moment. I am not a dancer but I have spent a lot of time among dancers, and now to be among dancers."

Kai added: "Getting to Blackpool is a massive achievement, but to do with with Angela." He turned to his partner and added: "You hate me saying this, but the icon and legend that is Angela Rippon, it really was special. Obviously it was an emotional night we got eliminated but it some how felt right. I said to you on the night, there is not many better places to do it than here. It just felt right, we both have our own histories with Blackpool and we now have one beautiful memory together now as well."

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Earlier in the day, Kai took to social media to thank everyone for their support as he shared snaps of him and Angela. "What an amazing 10 weeks with the legend that is @theangelarippon," he captioned the post. "We promised we’d be “Rippon” up the dance floor and we did. Thank you to all the people that supported our journey and a huge thanks to Angela - you never complained once despite the injuries, the brutal training regime and the increasingly complex routines."

He added: "It was my pleasure and a privilege to dance with you, you taught us all that age really is just a number. We’ll see you all for the live shows in January and I promise, we might be out but we’ll still keep dancing." Talking about their time on the show following their elimination, Angela thanked pro partner Kai, who sweetly broke down in tears.

Kai and Angela were voted off during the Blackpool show (BBC)

She said: "I have to tell you that the last nine weeks have probably been the most terrifying, the most fantastic, the most glorious, the most joyful that I have spent for a very long time in my profession. I have had the time of my life, people keep making reference to the fact that I presented Come Dancing, but that was forty years ago, that was a different time! He [Kai] wasn’t even born then! But actually being this side of the competition, this side of the programme has been really an eye-opener for me in so many different ways.

"Everybody talks about the team and all the pros - everyone who has danced – there is a real team spirit in this programme, unlike anything I’ve come across anywhere else in any of the many programmes I’ve done. It’s absolutely fabulous. They support us, they encourage us all the time – it’s absolutely wonderful. But the person who really has to get the most credit is this gentleman here [to Kai]."

Angela continued: "He’s [Kai] an old soul on young shoulders. He’s 28 and I’m 79, there’s a 51-year difference in our ages. He has looked after me so brilliantly, he’s a wonderful dancer and a great choreographer, but he’s a terrific teacher… and he has the patience of a saint! All I can say is that you’ve [to Kai] got me here so don’t you dare cry! He and his partner, Nadiya, are in every sense of the word beautiful people and I am so pleased to have you in my life."

Mia O'Hare