Rhys Stephenson has spoken out after his exit from Strictly Come Dancing.
The CBBC presenter and actor was the latest celeb to leave Strictly Come Dancing on Sunday night.
Rhys sand pro partner Nancy Xu danced a Samba to It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Stasera) by Michael Bublé in Sunday’s dance-off against John Whaite as they competed for a place in the Finals.
Reacting to his exit, Rhys said: “I feel good. I feel really proud of what we did and excited because… it was the semi finals!
“That semi final was intense, it was so good. That could have been the All Stars of Strictly so to be a part of that line up was incredible.”
On training for the Samba, Rhys said, “We just laughed through learning the Samba, we just giggled. That was so special when you’re just able to laugh throughout learning a routine. That’s the joy of dance. That’s what it should be.”
Meanwhile talking about her first year on the show with a partner, Nancy said: “Teaching Rhys has been the most magical moment for me in this Strictly journey. Yes, we didn’t make it to the final but we had everyone’s support behind us.
“They gave us their heart, supporting us in so many ways. I’m so grateful for everything. For Strictly to give me this chance and to give me this wonderful person to learn from me… I also learnt some much from him.”
Rhys added: “Nancy has been the most important part of this journey. It wasn’t just all about the dancing – it was about building a bond and I think we did that.”
When looking back at their best bits, Rhys reflected: “I will take away the memories of how it felt to be on [Strictly]. The memories of how it felt to get the frame and get the steps right. The memory of meeting Nancy for the first time.
“I’ll take away the confidence to be able to do anything that comes to mind and to know nothing can be as scary as this was… I can conquer the world now!”
Speaking on Monday on It Takes Two, Rhys and Nancy spoke exclusively with Rylan about their time on Strictly.
Strictly – It Takes Two continues every weeknight at 6:30PM on BBC Two.
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturday and Sunday nights on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
