"I've felt like the luckiest girl in the world being able to dance in your arms" – Mollie pays emotional tribute to AJ after Strictly exit

Mollie King has shared an emotional tribute to dance partner AJ on Instagram after the duo were eliminated from the Strictly Come Dancing semi-final on Sunday night.

Mollie and AJ have been the Strictly 'will-they-won't-they?' couple this year after viewers wondered whether a Strictly romance was blossoming behind the scenes, but in the end the pair were eliminated after a dance-off against Gemma Atkinson and Aljaz Skorjanec.

The judges decided unanimously that Mollie and AJ were the weaker of the two couples, leaving them to share one final dance before departing the series.

"AJ, I don’t even know where to begin... I have felt like the luckiest girl in the world being able to dance in your arms every Saturday night," Mollie wrote in the caption to her Instagram post after the episode aired. "I can’t even begin to thank you enough for everything you have done... You are absolutely magical."

AJ then shared a similar Instagram post, which read: "Thank you Mollie. You have been outstanding throughout this journey, each and every performance has become a cherished memory that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.."

Fans on Twitter were devastated to see the couple depart a hotly contested semi-final – and many were particularly upset that the duo didn't share a smooch during their final bow...

Next weekend the final four couples (Alexandra Burke and Gorka Marquez, Debbie McGee and Giovanni Pernice, Joe McFadden and Katya Jones, Gemma Atkinson and Aljaz Skorjanec) will battle it out for the Strictly Glitterball trophy in the show’s grand final.

The Strictly Come Dancing live grand final starts 6.30pm Saturday