Strictly Come Dancing pro Kai Widdrington "likened" celebrity partner Angela Rippon to his late grandmother.
The duo took this series of the ballroom competition by storm after wowing viewers early on, but ultimately fell short in the Blackpool dance-off last weekend as Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell won the judges' vote.
Speaking to The Telegraph, former Top Gear presenter Rippon opened up about their close bond.
Related: Strictly's Angela Rippon deserved so much more from her exit
"Kai likened me to his granny," she said, before recalling their final routine together.
"It was almost the anniversary of his grandmother's death; they were very close. I could just see the tears running down his right cheek. That's why I said 'Don't cry', because he would have started me off.
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"I love him to bits. He's a super human being, and we've become great pals. I said to [his girlfriend and fellow Strictly professional] Nadiya [Bychkova]: 'You can have him back now!'"
Further along, Rippon also commended Widdrington for his patience during rehearsals, sharing: "Every time I would get into a panic about learning something, he'd say 'Of course you can't do it – I've only just asked you. I've been doing it for 20 years; you've been doing it for 20 minutes.'"
Related: Strictly's Angela Rippon explains why exit was "full circle" moment
This comes after judge Anton Du Beke rubbished a conspiracy theory that claimed the voting process was rigged in Rippon's favour to make it to the iconic Tower Ballroom week.
"If she was terrible in week one she'd have been first to go," he told Times Radio.
"It doesn't really work that way. We had the opportunity as judges to eliminate, and we chose not to because she was worthy of a place in the dance-off to stay in the competition."
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays and Sundays on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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Reporter, Digital Spy
Dan is a freelance entertainment journalist. Beginning his writing career in 2014, Dan's work first graced the pages of cult publications Starburst magazine and Little White Lies before moving onto Total Film, Digital Spy, NME and Yahoo Entertainment.
In the film and TV universe, he kneels at the altar of Jim Carrey, Daniel Plainview, Mike Ehrmantraut and Paulie Walnuts.
