Dan Walker has hit back at “disappointing” Strictly Come Dancing curse rumours, after being spotted hugging Nadiya Bychkova backstage.
The BBC Breakfast host, 44, left the competition last weekend after landing in the bottom two with AJ Odudu.
Following his departure, Dan was keen to set the record straight on romance rumours with partner Nadiya.
Dan Walker addresses Nadiya Bychkova rumours
It comes after the pair “hugged” backstage at the show.
Dan explained that the encounter was simply down to Nadiya being a good friend.
He told The Sun: “I just needed to give somebody a hug. I needed to release emotionally from everything I’d been bottling up in the week.”
I just needed to give somebody a hug
Dan, who is happily married to wife Sarah, went on to call the rumours “disappointing”.
The Strictly star added: “There was only one person I was allowed to touch in the entire production that night and that was my partner. I needed somebody to give a hug to, and that was literally it.
“Nadiya was great. She said nice things, and I felt a lot better.”
Nadiya previously praised Dan during their final appearance on Strictly spin-off It Takes Two.
She said: “It was very special to me. I loved teaching him but at the same time, I learned so much from him.
“You gave me confidence in front of the camera. You managed to create an environment for me where I felt safe.
Read more: It Takes Two viewers in tears over Nadiya Bychkova’s tribute to Dan Walker
“I felt free to be myself for the first time and your friendship gave me wings to fly again.”
The moving speech even left Dan fighting back tears.
Meanwhile, it comes after Dan revealed his staggering weight loss after taking part in Strictly.
Dan’s Strictly weight loss
The BBC Breakfast host shared the news with his followers on Twitter.
It came after a fan asked whether he’d gone through any weight changes.
Read more: Strictly Come Dancing star Dan Walker reveals real reason for not going on the tour
Replying to the message, Dan shared: “Yes… about a stone and a bit.”
The Strictly Come Dancing semi-final takes place on BBC One tonight at 7:05pm
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