Strictly Come Dancing star Dan Walker divided viewers as he appeared on It Takes Two with partner Nadiya Bychkova.
The BBC Breakfast presenter appeared on the BBC Two spin-off show last night (November 11).
Speaking to host Janette Manrara, the duo updated viewers on rehearsals ahead of Saturday’s live show.
Dan Walker on Strictly
It comes after Dan, 44, and Nadiya, 32, escaped the dreaded dance-off last weekend.
During their appearance, the pair explained that an injury of Dan’s has prevented them from training this week.
Dan shared: “We’ve had a slight issue this week. I had a bit of an injury to my left calf.
Read more: Strictly star Dan Walker hits back as fans question how he’s still on show
“We haven’t been able to do that much dancing this week, have we?”
Nadiya added: “No, to be honest, until today, between Monday and Wednesday we had a few hours of eggshell training.
“But, how [Dan] puts himself together, I can see how much pain he’s in but he’s like, ‘I’m fighting through, I love this dance and I really want to do it’. Today as we rehearsed for a few hours, he pulled it together.”
Meanwhile, Nadiya explained why Dan deserved to still be on the show.
Following the recent dance-off, many viewers questioned why the presenter was still in the competition.
But his professional partner rushed to defend him.
Read more: Strictly: It Takes Two viewers divided over outfit choice for AJ Odudu
On It Takes Two, Nadiya added: “I absolutely love dancing with Dan and I love teaching him and the fun we have at rehearsals. I’m having the time of my life to be honest this year, and he’s so inspiring to so many people out there.
“The amount of messages we are getting from people like ‘I’ve never danced before’, or the wedding guy who said, I’ve never danced before but after seeing Dan dressed as a lobster, I really want to go and try.'”
@mrdanwalker and @NadiyaBychkova upping the game even more in their evening wear. I am here for it #ItTakesTwo #Strictly #StrictlyComeDancing #Strictly2021
— Debbie Blackman #ManifestSpinOff (@DebbieBlackma14) November 11, 2021
https://twitter.com/uisgebeatha/status/1458865969892372487
https://twitter.com/RyanGTweetsTV/status/1458866410906693636
Dan is making me cringe so hard 😬 #ItTakesTwo
— Kirsten (@kirstpe) November 11, 2021
Yea … we were all shocked as well …. But not in a good way #ItTakesTwo #Strictly
— Victoria (@VicsterLS) November 11, 2021
#danwalker isn’t dancing. He’s just going through the motions #StrictlyComeDancing
— Trish (@Trish270M) November 11, 2021
How did Strictly viewers respond?
Commenting on their glamorous outfits, one viewer tweeted: “Best outfits so far from Dan and Nadiya, still loving their red carpet glam #ItTakesTwo.”
A second agreed: “@mrdanwalker and @NadiyaBychkova upping the game even more in their evening wear. I am here for it #ItTakesTwo.”
However, one took a different view over Dan’s appearance and accused him of being “cocky”.
They shared: “Why is Dan acting so cocky tonight? You may have beat Adam [Peaty] but rein it in mate #Strictly #ItTakesTwo.”
Why is Dan acting so cocky tonight?
Another wrote: “Nadiya’s lovely frock isn’t making up for Dan’s COLOSSAL CRINGE #ItTakesTwo #itt.”
A third added: “Dan is making me cringe so hard #ItTakesTwo.”
A fourth commented: “#danwalker isn’t dancing. He’s just going through the motions #StrictlyComeDancing.”
Talking about Dan escaping the dance-off, a fifth shared: “Yea… we were all shocked as well. But not in a good way #ItTakesTwo #Strictly.”
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