Nikita Kuzmin pays tribute to Strictly co-stars after tour ends

Strictly Come Dancing star Nikita Kuzmin has paid tribute to his co-stars following the end of the Strictly live arena tour.

Following the conclusion of 2023's series of the hit reality dance competition, in which Nikita and his celebrity partner, Bad Education's Layton Williams, reached the final, the stars and their professional partners hit the road for a live tour.

Taking to Instagram to mark the end of the nationwide tour, Nikita has posted a series of snaps of his castmates, including one featuring Dianne Buswell as the Barbie to Kuzmin's Ken.

Related: Strictly's Amy Dowden confirms she's "back on the dance floor" after cancer battle

"Missing all of these lovely people and happy moments," Nikita wrote. "Last tour pics btw."

The carousel of pictures included Nikita and Layton with their tour winner trophies, Angela Rippon holding an inflatable banana and various group shots of the pros with their celebrity partners as they enjoyed backstage antics.

The tour featured series 21 champion, Coronation Street star Ellie Leach, as well as fellow runner up Bobby Brazier, Annabel Croft, Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Angela Scanlon.

Related: Strictly star Karen Hauer pays tribute to late dance partner Dave Myers

Following the end of the tour, Strictly judge Shirley Ballas shared a message of support and admiration for its dancers.

"There are so many cogs in this ever-turning machine," she said in a video posted to Instagram. "You wouldn’t believe the work that goes on to deliver this show."

She continued: "A huge congratulations to all the celebrities who’ve put on their very best in each and every show. I can't wait to see what everybody goes on to achieve.

"Well done professionals for navigating your celebrity through the past six months. Proud of you all. It's been a tour not to be missed and I hope that everyone who came to see the show had an absolute blast."

Strictly Come Dancing will return later this year on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two will air on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

Interested in talking about Strictly Come Dancing? Visit our dedicated sub-forum

You Might Also Like

• PS5 consoles for sale – PlayStation 5 stock and restocks: Where to buy PS5 today?

• IS MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 7 THE BEST IN THE SERIES? OUR REVIEW

• AEW game is a modern mix of No Mercy and SmackDown