Strictly Come Dancing's Sarah Hadland left in tears as she explains meaning behind emotional Couple's Choice dance

Strictly Come Dancing's Sarah Hadland praised by Motsi Mabuse after Couple's Choice dance as she reveals it told a personal story and paid tribute to her late father

Strictly Come Dancing star Sarah Hadland couldn't hold back the tears on Saturday night's show as she opened up about the deeply personal meaning behind her Couple's Choice dance with her professional dance partner, Kai Widdrington.

Sarah and Kai performed a beautiful contemporary dance to She Used To Be Mine from the musical Waitress, and the actress revealed afterwards that it was a tribute to her late father, who passed away in 2018.

Sarah's emotional Couple's Choice dance

Speaking on Strictly: It Takes Two, Sarah said: "I lost my dad in 2018 and the song is about a woman who has lost her husband. I kind of took that and made it my own, so it was about losing my father and my grief and my memories of him."

Sarah admitted that she found it difficult to perform the dance without getting emotional: "It was very difficult. I'm glad we did it but it was so emotional, and I think it will be for a long time."

The judges were all very impressed with Sarah and Kai's dance, with Motsi Mabuse saying: "Sarah, you stepped up today and delivered. You acted it, you danced it, you lived it. It was a captivating performance."

Sarah's father was a big fan of Strictly Come Dancing

Sarah also revealed that her father was a big fan of Strictly Come Dancing, and that he would have been thrilled to see her perform on the show.

"He would have loved it," she said. "He would have been so proud. He was such a big fan of the show, and he would have loved to see me do my dance."

Sarah's emotional dance was praised by viewers

Sarah's emotional dance was also praised by viewers on social media, with many people saying that it was one of the most moving performances they had ever seen on Strictly Come Dancing.

One viewer tweeted: "Sarah Hadland's dance was absolutely beautiful. It was so moving and emotional, and you could see how much it meant to her.

Another viewer said: "Sarah Hadland's Couple's Choice dance was one of the most powerful and emotional performances I've ever seen on Strictly. It was a beautiful tribute to her father, and I'm sure he would have been so proud of her."