Zara McDermott believes she has let herself down after facing elimination for the second time in five weeks on Strictly Come Dancing.
The former Love Island contestant is paired with professional ballroom dancer Graziano di Prima for the latest series of the BBC show, but has endured mixed fortunes since it returned on September 16.
After failing to impress with their Pasodoble in week three, the pair were back in the bottom two on Sunday evening – only to be saved at the expense of comedian Eddie Kadi and professional partner Karen Hauer.
Taking to Instagram after the show, Zara, 26, admitted their second dance-off was ‘definitely not the easiest moment’ of her Strictly journey.
She added: ‘I think I let those nerves get the better of me during our performance, and I knew I could’ve done better.
Upset: Zara McDermott believes she has let herself down after facing elimination for the second time in five weeks on Strictly Come Dancing
Not happy: Taking to Instagram after the show, Zara admitted their second dance-off was ‘definitely not the easiest moment’ of her Strictly journey
‘I definitely felt like I let myself down when I walked off the dance floor, as I knew I could’ve pushed through those jelly legs a bit more, both physically & mentally!’
Thanking the judges for sparing her, she wrote: ‘I’m just not ready for this journey to be over, and the thought of leaving last night broke my heart.
‘I’ve made a promise to myself and Graz that this week I am going to work on controlling those nerves, and not letting them get in the way of me doing my BEST!’
Zara, who previously admitted she’s a terrible dancer, also insisted she’ll come back stronger for week six and is ready to be ‘pushed out of her comfort zone.’
Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin ended up topping the leaderboard on a night filled with mistakes and blunders after earning 39 points.
At the other end were Eddie and Karen with 24 points and the pair ended up being ousted from the show after losing the dreaded dance-off to Zara and Graziano.
However some watching at home questioned the decision on social media – especially as just two weeks ago he was scored a 10 from head judge Shirley Ballas for their Movie Week Men In Black routine.
Taking to X, one viewer said of the result: ‘I’m absolutely gutted Eddie and Karen have been eliminated, Eddie should be proud of himself and how well he has done.’
Close: The former Love Island contestant is paired with professional ballroom dancer Graziano di Prima for the latest series of the BBC show
Another said: ‘So sad to see them go. Eddie and Karen had something special and I can agree that Eddie’s natural groove could get in his way, but he can move.’
While a third posted: ‘Didn’t agree with that result at all tonight.’
A fourth added: ‘Eddie and Karen should have stayed in Strictly I’m no judge but they blend so well and have so much more rhythm…’
Eddie scored a disappointing 24 out of 40 with his Samba to Calm Down by Rema and Selena Gomez.