Strictly star Nikita Kanda reveals she had secret injury just days before she’s axed
FORMER Strictly star Nikita Kanda has revealed she had a secret injury just days before she was booted from the competition.
The 28-year-old was the second to be eliminated from the show with her pro partner Gorka Marquez after failing to impress the judges with their jive.
On Sunday night's episode, The BBC Asian Network presenter faced the dreaded dance-off against Love Island star Zara McDermott and her partner Graziano Di Prima with their paso doble.
Both couples performed their routines again in a bid to impress the judges, but it was Zara who was saved by all four judges - sending Nikita home.
But now Nikita has revealed that she sustained a hidden injury just one day before she delivered the underwhelming routine.
Joining Fleur East on It Takes Two to discuss their departure from the show, Nikita gushed about taking on the role of Cher from the 1995 film Clueless.
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She said: “I had so much fun, it’s so iconic. It's [set in the] 1990s, I'm a 90s baby.
“I really just took the role on I feel like, and he really helped me each week with my confidence getting there, the sassiness, the acting.”
It was at this point that the TV personality revealed that she had twisted her ankle while she was at the dress rehearsal on Friday night (October 6).
“I even hurt my foot the day before and I just think I have to power through.
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"I've got a bandage on now, it’s not very glamorous under the sparkles.
"But do you know what? I just wanted to give it 100% because that’s what you’re there to do.
“You’ve got to give it everything and I feel like that’s what we did, and we had a blast and I'm just really sad that we weren’t in training today.
"It felt really weird going back to radio and then not meeting him after for training.”
With the help of Gorka, Nikita went on to share her love for the show as she "slowly fell in love with dance".
She said: "I genuinely did start falling in love each week with the training and learning different things.
"I find myself just doing it now in the kitchen or when I'm out and about, it's just in me now and you [Gorka] really helped me with that."