Jowita Przystal makes candid admission following BBC Strictly backlash after avoiding dance-off

Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystal sailed through the latest Strictly Come Dancing instalment despite being placed at the bottom of the leaderboard.

The public votes they’d received led to some backlash as many argued the two should have been in the dance-off, especially as their Salsa saw mixed comments from the judges. On Thursday, Przystal made an honest confession about her thoughts on the subject.

The couple appeared on Strictly spin-off show, It Takes Two, where host Janette Manrara questioned them on last week’s show and their preparation for the coming weekend.

When she noted how judge Craig Revel Horwood had given the couple a harsh scoring of four points, Wicks admitted: “I think that’s probably fair, they know what they’re talking about.”

The former The Only Way is Essex star, 36, went on to point out he “struggled” with the routine and tight costume.

Applauding Wicks for his good work on the dancefloor in the unfamiliar Blackpool setting, Manrara asked Przystal if she was pleased with her celebrity partner.

“Absolutely,” she replied. “We’re very grateful because we literally had the best team ever – they were very supportive.”

Detailing Wicks’ struggle, she continued: “I think you know, it’s Blackpool, everything is bigger and better, we want to bring the entertainment.

“Our goal was just to put a smile on people’s faces and I think we did it. I enjoyed it very much.”

“Your reaction to the Results Show was absolutely priceless,” former pro Manrara commented.

“When the two of you got through… You were fully convinced you were going to be in the dance-off.”

The presenter went on to show a snapshot of the pair when their names had been called among the couples who were safely through to the following week, highlighting their shocked faces.

“Fully,” Wicks confessed, adding: “100 percent.”

Accepting their tenuous position in the show, the dancer went on: “We obviously were bottom of the leaderboard by some way and I just thought my luck must have run out surely but again, thankfully whoever is voting for me – thank you, thank you, thank you.”

“Jowita what were you thinking when that came through?” Manrara probed.

The dancer gave a candid response as she answered: “It was a surprise, it was a surprise.”

“I mean, because you know, everyone is just so good at this point, and it is just so hard to actually compare or compete with anyone there because everyone is brilliant,” she continued.

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Touching on her and Wicks’ shortfalls, she added: “Watching the Saturday night show, I was absolutely in shock at how amazing they are.

“Like, the celebs literally look like professionals so in my head it was like…” after a pause, she confessed: “I was thinking it could go any way.”

“She was thinking we were going home,” Wicks added bluntly, with Przystal seeming to agree.

“But you didn’t and you are through!” Manrara pointed out in a celebratory tone.

This weekend, the duo are set to perform a Tango, so fans will have to wait and see whether they manage to win round the judges before their luck runs out.