‘Strictly’ star Nikita Kanda reveals she had injury before her elimination

Strictly Come Dancing star Nikita Kanda has opened up about her exit from the popular dance reality show. The radio presenter, who was paired with professional choreographer Gorka Márquez, became the second contestant to be eliminated in the 21st series as they lost out to Zara McDermott and Graziano Di Prima in the dance-off.

Hours after her elimination, Kanda has revealed that she suffered an injury before the live show.

Appearing on Monday's edition of the BBC sister show, Strictly It Takes Two, Kanda admitted she was feeling emotional after leaving the competition earlier than she would have liked to. She added that she suffered an injury in rehearsals prior to Saturday’s live show, which saw her perform as Cher Horowitz from Clueless.

“I’m really sad – I feel quite emotional. It’s been an emotional and fun journey, but I’m so sad that our time got cut short,” she began. “We were like two kids in school, so it was quite fitting we danced to Clueless. I feel like we’d be in detention if we went to school together.

“I had so much fun playing Cher as she’s iconic. I’m a 90s baby so I really took the role on – Gorka helped me each week with my confidence. I even hurt my foot the day before but we powered through – I’ve got a bandage on so it’s not very glamorous underneath all the sparkle.”

The star also posted a lengthy message to her Instagram to her fans. She shared a highlights reel and various pictures from their rehearsals and wrote in the caption in part: "What a whirlwind. Processing the end of my time on Strictly. It's so hard to put into words. I've had the most magical time.

"I went out there on Saturday with an injured foot because that's how much I wanted to keep going. I didn't want to give up. I always wanted to give it 100%."