AJ Pritchard and Saffron Barker begged bosses to let them skip the Samba.
The ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ duo – who were eliminated from the BBC Latin and ballroom show on Sunday night (24.11.19) – have admitted they were nervous about performing the routine, which saw all four judges vote against them in this week’s dance-off.
Speaking to The Sun newspaper, Saffron admitted: "We tried to get out of dancing the Samba but they wouldn’t let us."
It’s now the third time ‘Strictly’ pro AJ has been voted off the show after performing the Brazilian dance, and he has commented on the idea he’s cursed.
He said: "You should ask production if they think that."
The pair found themselves joint bottom of the leaderboard on Saturday (23.11.19) scoring just 26 points in total, with outspoken judge Craig Revel Horwood
marking them just five out of 10 for their efforts.
He argued: "Saffron deserved more than a five, that’s for sure. But it is what it is, obviously ‘Strictly’ is an entertainment show."
Craig and the rest of the panel – completed by Motsi Mabuse, Bruno Tonioli and head judge Shirley Ballas – all voiced their support for CBBC presenter Karim Zeroual and his pro partner Amy Dowden in the dance-off, but YouTuber Saffron only had kind words for AJ after their departure.
She said at the time: "I’ve had the absolute time of my life and it’s all down to him. It’s been amazing.
"I’d like to thank AJ so much, when I look at what I was like on week one I was so embarrassed and shy. He’s really taken me out of my shell. Thank you so much for everything."
AJ also spoke enthusiastically about his time with Saffron.
He shared: "Every single week you’ve approached it with a positive mental attitude and you’ve inspired so many … on your own social media too.
"As a non-dancer starting from day one – I’m not going to lie I was a bit scared … but performing those fantastic dances has been amazing. I’ll never ever ever forget that dance. Thank you. The best partner. Thank you."
Saffron Barker and AJ Pritchard begged to skip Strictly Come Dancing Samba
