Strictly Come Dancing star Lawrence Robb became emotional while discussing his departure from the BBC dance show on Monday evening’s It Takes Two.
Lawrence and his professional partner Jowita Przystał saw their Glitterball dreams come to an end on Sunday night after finding themselves caught up in the competition’s first-ever triple dance-off.
But when the pair reunited for Monday’s Strictly: It Takes Two, it was clear just how much the experience had meant to the actor. And one question from presenter Ellie Taylor was enough to leave him struggling to contain his emotions.
Lawrence Robb fights back tears as he pays tribute to Jowita
Asked to look back on his Strictly adventure, Lawrence didn’t hesitate to acknowledge the person who had been by his side throughout.
Glancing towards his dance partner, he admitted that the standout moment was “meeting an incredible person, and this girl here”.
And it wasn’t just his partnership with Jowita that had made such an impression.
“The sense of family, the love and the joy that it brings every week, the people, and the journey,” he explained.
For someone who had arrived without any ballroom or Latin dance experience, the whole thing had clearly been quite a whirlwind.
Lawrence said: “The idea of not knowing how to do any ballroom and Latin dancing at all, and then learning it in, what, three and a half days, and then performing it to millions of people is just… It’s wild.”
Lawrence, best known to soap viewers as Emmerdale’s Mack Boyd, also shared a touching piece of advice for those still fighting for their place in the competition.
“Doing Strictly is… Well, you’ve already won,” he said. “You’ve been on Strictly, and then anything on top of that is, you know, icing, cherry on top of the cake.”
Strictly judges deliver verdict after Halloween dance-off
On Saturday evening, Lawrence and Jowita took to the floor with a Ghostbusters-themed tango for Halloween week.
Their routine picked up 26 points out of 40, and there were some encouraging comments from the judging panel.
Craig Revel Horwood labelled their efforts “sharp, staccato and very entertaining”. Meanwhile, Shirley Ballas highlighted how Lawrence was “improving” and “shining”.
Unfortunately, those positive remarks weren’t enough to keep the couple safe.
Although they had avoided the bottom spot on the leaderboard, the public vote left them facing Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu, as well as Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu, in the bottom three.
What followed was a Strictly first, with three couples competing in the dance-off rather than the usual two.
And when it came to the judges’ decision, there was no disagreement over who should leave. Shirley, Anton Du Beke and Craig all opted to eliminate Lawrence and Jowita, with Motsi Mabuse revealing she would have reached the same verdict.
Viewers were gutted over the result, with some claiming that Lawrence had been “robbed”.
One person said on X: “Poor Lawrence was robbed in the most horrible way during this horrendous three-way dance-off.”
Another added: “Dare I say it, but Lawrence was robbed. I am so sad.”
Who could win Strictly Come Dancing 2026?
The competition now continues without Lawrence and Jowita, leaving ten couples hoping to make it all the way to the final.
Among those still in the running are Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita, who have recently emerged as a favourite to take home the Glitterball Trophy.
Read more: Strictly judge Shirley Ballas hits back at backlash over her ‘harsh’ treatment of contestants
Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday, November 7, at 6.30pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
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