Strictly's Neil Jones issues furious defence of 'not perfect' Toyah Willcox as fans rage

Strictly Come Dancing star Neil Jones rushed to social media to praise his dance partner Toyah Willcox after they landed in the bottom two

Strictly Come Dancing star Neil Jones was quick to defend his celebrity dance partner Toyah Willcox after fans raged about Tom Dean's elimination.

Olympic swimmer Tom, alongside his professional dance partner Nadiya Bychkova, was the first celebrity to be eliminated from the competition after a dance-off with Toyah and her pro partner Neil. Following the public vote, the swimmer, 24, faced singer and actress Toyah, 66, in the dance-off.

The judges delivered their verdicts, with Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse both choosing to save Toyah and Neil while Anton Du Beke opted to save Tom and Nadiya. Head judge Shirley Ballas had the deciding vote and chose to save Toyah and Neil. While fans fumed that the elimination was a 'fix' and stars said the decision was 'beyond comprehension', Neil rushed to social media to share his support for his dance partner.

Along with screengrabs from their performance, Neil - who has been without a dance partner for a while - said: "Ladies and Gentlemen when you ask me how my Saturday night went. I just want to say it’s week 2 @toyahofficial is not a dancer but every day she’s improving.

"Each day I tell Toyah, it might not be perfect but you are improving and at the same time you are not losing who you really are and that is what @bbcstrictly is all about. You bring so much joy in our lives and I feel lucky that I have the opportunity to teach and guide you so we can both entertain."

Fans rushed to the comment section to post their support, with one user writing: "So happy that it wasn't you going home. We've waited too long for you to have another partner. When Anton didn't save you I was gutted but Shirley did the right thing," and another adding: "Well done Toyah! Such an improvement over last week. Hats off to Neil for his choreography."

Taking to Twitter to air their frustrations following Tom's elimination, one person said: "Absolute fix. They obviously have some deal to give Neil more air time this year. Poor Tom. Not on at all." Another added: "Tom has been robbed!! Toyah was by far the worse dancer!!! Absolute Fix." Someone else wrote: "Jeez. First week and already a disgraceful decision. Wasn't your fault Tom."

"Totally disagree with the decision this evening. Tom was far better," said another. While one viewer commented: "Actually gutted Tom left #Strictly, his week 1 dance was the best of the night - the chemistry between the two of them was so good. Should not have been in the dance off."

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