Jamie Laing, 30, spoke out about his Strictly Come Dancing 2019 replacement Kelvin Fletcher, 35, in a sweet congratulatory Instagram video. The Made In Chelsea star, who made the decision to quit the BBC show after he injured his foot during the launch episode, addressed the former Emmerdale actor in view of his 889,000 followers this afternoon. Jamie said: “Happy Sunday everyone! I just wanted to give a big congratulations and shout out to Kelvin Fletcher who’s taking my place in Strictly this year.” The TV personality then thanked the soap star for reaching out to him earlier in the day and wished him the best of luck on the programme.
He continued: “Buddy, thank you for your message. I’m sending one back because honestly you’re going to have the best time and you’re going to rock the dance floor, can’t wait.
“Plus you have Oti, so go on kill it. Good luck.”
Jamie’s statement comes after Kelvin admitted his Strictly announcement was “bittersweet” due to the reality star’s “misfortune”.
The Andy Sugden star opened up about how he was feeling about getting involved in the dance competition in a candid Instagram story.
Kelvin told his 114,000 followers: “I love music and I love to dance, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be any good because once you put choreography in there and a few dance moves, who knows?
“But we’ll see. I’m so excited to meet the professionals and the rest of the cast. Admittedly it’s bittersweet, obviously Jamie’s misfortune, I can’t help but feel for him.”
He wrote in the caption: “I’m so excited that @bbcstrictly is starting tonight!!”
In spite of his excitement over the TV event, Jamie admitted he was “upset” his Strictly journey was brought to an untimely end.
He added: “It’s so upsetting my journey ended so quickly but it doesn’t mean I won’t be supporting everyone each week!!
“Can’t wait to watch!!! X.”
The star then shared a follow-up post paying tribute to professional dancer Oti alongside an adorable selfie of the pair smiling for the camera.
“If only @otimabuse. You are a star,” Jamie wrote alongside a broken heart emoji.