Strictly Come Dancing's Halloween Week saw model and actor Ellie Goldstein and her professional partner Vito Coppola leave the competition after landing in the dreaded Dance-Off. After her exit aired, Shirley Ballas wrote a touching tribute while Ellie herself penned a post about her time on the BBC One show.
"Ellie, how beautiful to have had you on our show for six wonderful weeks," Shirley wrote on her Instagram. "You have been dedicated to giving it your very best, your musicality is simply breathtaking and your power and energy is spectacular.
"[Vito] said it best, we were blessed to witness an angel grace our show. Thank you for sharing your love with us. I feel privileged to have watched you grow each week. This partnership will always hold a place in my heart."
On her own Instagram, Ellie said: "Wow… what a journey! I can't even begin to put into words how grateful I am for all the love, support and beautiful messages I've received since leaving Strictly Come Dancing.
"Every single comment, message, vote, cheer and encouragement has meant the world to me.
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"Being part of Strictly has been a dream come true the sparkle, the music, the laughter, and most of all, the people. I've grown so much, learned things I never thought I could do, and made memories I'll treasure forever."
She thanked Vito for being "truly one of kind", as well as the behind-the-scenes crew, her management, and the outgoing Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, for "making this magical show what it is.
"You've given me an experience I'll never forget. And the fabulous cast I love you all," she wrote, adding: "Finally, to everyone watching at home thank you for opening your hearts to me, for celebrating inclusion, and for showing that dance is for everyone, and you CAN achieve anything you want just follow your dreams.
"This isn't goodbye… just the beginning of a new chapter."
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Plenty of fans commented congratulating Ellie for her run on the show, while lots of them admitted that they were brought to tears during last night's results show.
"You are an absolute star. Couldn’t stop crying last night listening to @vitocoppola. Such a wonderful friendship," wrote one fan, while another said: "It's been a few years since Ive been genuinely upset about a Strictly result but I was so upset to hear you'd gone."
" I cried my eyes out tonight. Watching Vito reassurring Ellie touched my heart," a third viewer wrote, while a fourth said: "I don’t think I've ever cried when someone has left before."
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays 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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Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he's covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I'm a Fish.
