Loreen, the Eurovision winner, sent an encouraging video message to Layton Williams, who appeared startled.
In fresh footage released on Tuesday’s It Takes Two, the two-time Eurovision champion, 40, sung Layton and his Strictly partner Nikita Kuzmin’s praises.
Introducing the clip, host Fleur East told Bad Education star Layton and 25-year-old Nikita: ‘Someone who enjoyed [Saturday’s Strictly performance] got in touch, check this out.’
Loreen then appeared on the screen and said: ‘Hey Layton and Nikita, it’s me Loreen. I just want to say I loved your routine, it was amazing. Best of luck in the competition. You’re great. I love you.’
As Loreen spoke, both Layton and Nikita looked totally shocked, with the former clasping his hands over his mouth before saying: ‘Oh. My God.’
Our thoughts exactly!
It comes after Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood’s reaction to Layton and Nikita’s Argentine tango on Saturday enraged viewers.
When the judge failed to give the couple a perfect 10, fans at home and in the studio erupted and booed.
Craig gave them a nine, while Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, and Anton Du Beke each got a ten.
Layton and Nikita performed a spectacular, impassioned routine to Tattoo by Eurovision winner Loreen, dressed in purple suits and packed with flawless lifts and sophisticated choreography.
The rest of the Strictly cast and pros were surprised, mouths agape, when resident Mr Nasty refused to explain why he didn’t believe the performance was a ten.
On Twitter, viewers slammed Craig’s ‘ridiculous’ score and said Layton was ‘robbed blind’.
‘I swear it must be in Craig’s contract that he can’t hand out a 10 before Blackpool or something because Layton and Nikita were just ROBBED of their well-deserved perfect 40,’ one fan wrote, with Blackpool coming up in just one week.
Another said they were ‘inexplicably outraged,’ adding that Layton’s dance was “one of the best in Strictly history.”
