Strictly's Nancy Xu posts sweet tribute to Will Mellor

Strictly Come Dancing pro Nancy Xu has shared her pride in her celebrity partner Will Mellor, after the duo were knocked out of the competition at the semi-finals stage.

Week 11 of the ballroom competition saw the Coronation Street actor back in the dance-off against Fleur East. However, a reprise of his and Nancy's Madchester Couples' Choice routine wasn't enough to send them through to this week's grand final.

Posting a shot of the pair hugging on Instagram (December 13), Nancy thanked Will for making the series one to remember.

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"Where do I start ~ well, even if it still hurts, I'm still super grateful for this journey. And super proud for all the dances that we have performed on Strictly Come Dancing this year," she wrote.

Nancy thanked Will for his commitment and trust, and said she'd enjoyed showing him how to dance "so much", adding: "You made me such a proud teacher and dance partner.

"The memories we made in this journey are beyond everything," she continued. "I will hold them in a very special place in the deepest part of my heart. I adored this partnership so so much.

"Thank you thank you thank you all for the support and votes, all the positive comments, messages and your time, this meant a lot to me."

Before signing off with her best wishes for the "amazing" finalists – Fleur, Helen Skelton, Hamza Yassin and Molly Rainford – Nancy also gave her "Strictly family" a shoutout, writing: "Thanks for everything and I'm super grateful. I love you all."

Nancy's "Strictly family" also shared their love and appreciation in replies to her message. Her 2021 celeb partner Rhys Stephenson wrote: "Hold up your head Queen, it will come."

"So much love for you beautiful girl! We all adore you," Amy Dowden wrote, while Gorka Marquez added: "You should be proud of yourself and Will."

Come the end of this weekend, who will raise the Glitterball trophy?

Strictly Come Dancing's final airs on Saturday (December 17) at 7.05pm on BBC One, while spin-off show Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows also stream on BBC iPlayer.