In the end, it was 24-year-old Dean who departed the dancefloor, after his cha cha to Boogie Wonderland by Earth, Wind and Fire fell short of Willcox’s jive to Nutbush City Limits by Ike and Tina Turner.
Only Anton Du Beke chose to save Dean, with all three other judges voting to save Willcox, 66.
Speaking to host Tess Daly after the verdict, Dean said he wished he could have “gone further and done more dances”.
“I’ve had the best time [over] the last few weeks and getting to work with Nadiya has been incredible,” he said.
“I’ve had the most fun and I wish we could keep going longer and longer. We’ll still go out for loads of brunches, I’m sure.”
His partner Bychkova added that Dean was “a true gentleman”, and that he had taught her “how to work really hard and how to put everything in”.
