Strictly Come Dancing viewers were overjoyed during Saturday night’s live final, as former contestant Will Bayley was finally given one last moment in the spotlight.
The Paralympian was forced to bow out of this year’s series early, after acquiring a knee injury while rehearsing for the show.
Because of the nature of his exit, Will was not given the distinction of a farewell dance, unlike the rest of his competitors, but was finally given his time to shine when the cast reunited for one last routine in the finale.
During the group number, each of the contestants was given their time to shine, with Will surprising some fans – who hadn’t expected him to be a part of the routine – when he and his partner Janette Manrara entered the dance floor. The moment proved to be a particular highlight for many viewers, who tweeted their praise for the table tennis star…WILL BAYLEY BACK ON THE DANCEFLOOR I'M #StrictlyFinalpic.twitter.com/Cp2RzAmvvq— Jack Walker (@JackTheFact29) December 14, 2019will Bayley I’ve missed you 🥺— court ❄️ FAN (@ohkfletch) December 14, 2019So glad Will was able to be part of it ❤️ #strictly— Natasha Louise (@tashaontv) December 14, 2019WILL IS BACK! #StrictlyFinal#Strictlypic.twitter.com/xFsLrU76nT— A Spacetran Came Travelling🎄👨🚀 (@uisgebeatha) December 14, 2019So happy to see Will Bayley in the group dance as well 🕺🏻🕺🏻 #StrictlyFinal— Shannon (@ShannonBakes97) December 14, 2019@WillBayleytt was amazing to see u back on the Strictly dancefloor. Cant wait to hear how your recovery progresses and will definitley be watching u at Tokyo— katherine collins (@katherinbourne) December 14, 2019Aw, it was so nice to see Will again! #Strictly— ❄️🎅🏻 Caitlin 🎅🏻❄️ (@CaitlinMcGlonee) December 14, 2019Ladies and gentlemen, the class of #StrictlyComeDancing2019#Strictly#StrictlyFinal and yes Will got his Chain reaction! Still can't believe that his moving cotempaory dance ended up being his last! pic.twitter.com/QcbhqkSSBy— Matthew Chapman (@Matt528chap) December 14, 2019WILL ❤️❤️❤️ #strictly— becca 🌸 (@becca_x94) December 14, 2019So great to see you back on Strictly, Will, we missed you. Chris, I loved your section of the group dance, you fitted right in next to the professional dancers. You were both a pleasure to watch throughout the series, especially starting as you did as non-dancers. Thank you. 😊— It's Just Me (@VelvetWildcat) December 14, 2019Speaking to presenter Claudia Winkleman after the routine, Will confirmed that he did not anticipate his injury would hold him back from next year’s Paralympics, revealing: “My rehab’s going really well so I’m hoping to get fit and get ready for Tokyo”
Meanwhile, the group performance also saw the return of fan favourite Michelle Visage, who was finally able to do the one thing she wasn’t able to during her time on Strictly – dance to a song by her BFF and Drag Race co-star, RuPaul...The #Strictly class of 2019 are back in the Ballroom and better than ever! #StrictlyFinalpic.twitter.com/V2PhiHBhxt—
BBC Strictly ✨ (@bbcstrictly) December 14, 2019The live final saw Kelvin Fletcher triumphing over competitors Emma Barton and Karim Zeroual, bagging professional dancer Oti Mabuse her first ever win.
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