David James has said he was upset to have cut short his partner Nadiya Bychkova’s time on Strictly Come Dancing.
The former football star and professional dancer Bychkova were eliminated from the BBC competition at the weekend after losing to presenter Mike Bushell and his partner Katya Jones in the dance-off.
Speaking on spin-off show It Takes Two, James said it was not just a disappointment for him.
“Nadiya’s dedication and how much this meant to her as well meant more to me,” he said.
“It wasn’t just a pro with a celeb going though a routine.
“Being out of the competition wasn’t just me, it was Nadiya being out, I know how much she wanted to be in it as well.
“Really sad I couldn’t extend her journey.”
James told host Rylan Clark-Neal being on Strictly had been “amazing”.
“Everything was positive,” he said.
He joked that he had found it hard to find a balance in that if he let himself have fun on the dancefloor, he tended to make errors.
“One thing that has been really challenging is that I was supposed to enjoy it and when enjoy it I make mistakes and when I make mistakes I get punished in the scoring,” he said.
Strictly continues on BBC One.
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