History-making Strictly finalist pays heartwarming tribute to eliminated star

Football star Karen Carney said she was ‘in awe’ of Balvinder Sopal, who has been voted off the BBC show

Strictly finalist Karen Carney has penned a sweet message to Balvinder Sopal after she was eliminated from the show.

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The EastEnders actress and her pro dance partner Julian Caillon were voted off the BBC ballroom competition at the weekend, having previously survived several dance-offs. Sharing a string of behind the scenes snaps on Instagram, Karen told Balvinder how “inspiring” she had been.

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The star – who has made history as the first footballer to make it through to a final of the dance show – wrote: “I am completely in awe of you. You’re a beautiful dancer and have shown the world what fight, grit and determination can achieve; inspiring all of us watching.

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“You and @julian_caillon formed this amazing partnership and have so many beautiful dances to look back on and smile about.”

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Karen is paired with Carlos Gu on Strictly(Image: BBC)

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Karen went on: “Thank you for always being there for me and for being my dressing room buddy for the first few weeks! I can’t imagine what this experience would have been like without you.”

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Balvinder and Julian were handed their marching orders after ending up in the dance-off against Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin.

Judges Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke and Craig Revel Horwood all chose to save Amber. She will now face Karen and YouTube star George Clarke in the final.

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Balvinder and Julian missed out on the final(Image: BBC)

Asked about her time on the show, Balvinder told host Tess Daly: “I’ve absolutely adored every single minute. All the dance-offs, all the challenges, but just more than anything, just being in this building and dancing on this floor with such an amazing human being. It was my Yes Year, and I said yes to Strictly.”

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“Everyone’s been brilliant,” said the actress. “The minute you walk into this building, it’s like a massive hug. Every single time. I’ve walked in, people have just held me and gone, ‘You know, you’re alright.’ It’s such a wonderful place to work.”

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She thanked the judges and also addressed Tess and her co-host Claudia Winkleman, who are set to leave Strictly after the current series.

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Balvinder said she loved her time on the show(Image: BBC)

“I’m grateful that I got to be on the show on your last moment here as well, because you, for me, are what Strictly is about,” she said. “You’re the era of Len Goodman and Bruce Forsyth, and that’s when I started watching it, and that, for me, is really special.”