Strictly's Tom Dean breaks silence after he is first celeb to be dumped – amid 'fix' row

ok.co.uk:

Olympic swimmer Tom Dean and his professional dance partner Nadiya Bychkova were the first to be shown the exit door after a dance-off with Toyah Willcox and her pro partner Neil Jones.

Now, Tom has spoken out for the first time after becoming the first celebrity to leave the dancing competition. Tom took to his Instagram to say: "Coming straight from the Paris 2024 Olympics into Strictly Come Dancing has been a whirlwind but I'm so so proud.The journey may have ended a little earlier than I hoped and of course I am so gutted, but I'm so grateful for all the amazing people I met, people I'll be cheering on throughout and who I know will continue to smash it. "And to my brilliant partner @nadiyabychkova, thank you so much for everything.

You've been an amazing teacher and to have danced alongside you has been an absolute privilege. Over and out Strictly! You've been an absolute blast x." This is the first time Nadiya has had a partner on the show since 2022, after being replaced by Luba Mushtuk in 2023.

Neil Jones also hasn't had a celebrity partner for several years. Following both couples' second performance, judges Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse chose to save Toyah and Neil, while Anton Du Beke opted for Tom and Nadia.