Strictly’s Vicky Pattison says ‘It’s a difficult pill to swallow’ in heartbreaking farewell

Strictly Come Dancing star Vicky Pattison has been left emotional over the latest departure from the BBC One show

Abbie Bray Deputy Editor for Screen Time and Jessica Sansome

10:18, 13 Nov 2025

Strictly: Vicky Pattison and Kai dance to ‘Fight For This Love’

Vicky Pattison has confessed that the most recent Strictly Come Dancing elimination was “a hard pill to swallow” as she honoured her departing fellow contestant.

The former Geordie Shore personality enjoyed her finest weekend yet in the famous ballroom, notching up an almost flawless score with her professional dancing partner Kai Widdrington.

The pair amassed 39 points for their Tango to Taylor Swift’s The Fate Of Ophelia during the seventh week of the BBC One dancing competition on Saturday (November 8) evening.

Vicky and Kai impressed the panel during Saturday evening’s programme, with Craig Revel Horwood describing it as “perfect”, whilst Anton Du Beke admitted he was “a bit stunned” because it was “that good”.

Despite claiming the top spot on the leaderboard and guaranteeing her place in the eighth week of Strictly’s 2025 series, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey became the sixth celebrity eliminated from Strictly, according to the Manchester Evening News.

Strictly Come Dancing star Vicky Pattison(Image: Vicky Pattison Instagram)

The Gladiator, recognised as Nitro, departed the competition alongside professional partner Karen Hauer following defeat in Sunday evening’s dance-off against Drag Race UK runner-up La Voix and Aljaz Skorjanec.

Vicky felt upset by the development and turned to social media to express her feelings about Harry’s departure.

Sharing pictures of the pair on Instagram, she declared: “This one was a really difficult pill to swallow… @aikines.

“Harry, you are one of the genuinely nicest men I have ever been lucky enough to meet. Everything you’ve done over the last few months- showing young men that it is ok to show emotion, to be passionate, kind and that even the biggest and strongest men can also be vulnerable has been truly inspiring to watch.”

Strictly Come Dancing’s Vicky Pattison(Image: BBC)

She continued, “The dedication, enthusiasm and energy you’ve brought to this competition week after week has been amazing and I know I speak for the whole Strictly crew when I say we’re going to miss you so much!”.

“You and the lovely @karenhauer put on an incredible show for us every week and watching your beautiful friendship was always a highlight for me! Love you, Nitro, and I just hope you know how much joy you brought to millions of homes every Saturday night, mate.”

Harry was swift to respond, replying to the post: “What a journey it’s been! Thanking you all!” with Vicky once more showing her fondness: “Love you, petal.”

During Sunday evening’s results show, Anton Du Beke, Craig Revel Horwood, and Shirley Ballas all chose to rescue La Voix and Skorjanec, whilst Motsi Mabuse, who possessed the crucial vote this week, confirmed she would have reached the identical conclusion if required.

La Voix faced the dance-off against Harry Aikines-Aryeetey(Image: Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire)

Upon his departure being confirmed, Harry expressed: “I just want to thank Karen, genuinely, you have given me an opportunity to shine. You’ve understood my crazy brain.

“I’m such a logical person, trying to dance – and obviously doing what I do: Olympic sprinter, Gladiator – now I’m trying to be a dancer. I just want to thank you so much for the time and effort, the hard work that you’ve given to me. You show up, you turn out.

“I want to thank everyone here. Literally, this has been a dream come true. This is a celebration. I spoke to my daughter, and she didn’t like seeing her dad sad. When she saw me sad last week, she was like, ‘Daddy, what’s wrong?’ I wanted to show everyone that, no matter what happens, there’s always a silver lining.

“This is an experience for me, so thank you for this lovely gift, and at the end of the day, we carry on, we give it to them, and we continue to shine.”

Strictly Come Dancing is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.