The singer performed a stunning tribute to her dance partner Denys Samson, who was missing from this week’s show due to Covid.
This was made possible with the help of Ervinas Merfeldas, who stood in for Denys on the night. Sharing her gratitude for Ervinas’ hard work, Erica shared a sweet message on Instagram saying;
“Speechless. This week has been such a challenge but I’m so grateful we could make this dance happen as it meant SO much. I owe so much to you @ervinas_m, you were the best team mate & friend this week and I can’t thank you enough for stepping up with such short notice (our very own switch up week) & to @ivanaostrowski for helping us navigate through it.
“Thank you all so much for the love & support tonight and for helping us into WEEK 10!! See you next week partner @denys_samson I’m glad we could do you proud.”
It’s safe to say Denys was impressed with the outcome of the dance as Erica shared a screenshot of a FaceTime they had after the show with Denys looking delighted. He also shared a story on Instagram saying he was “so proud” of the pair.
Last week, the singer shared some kind words about her partner Denys, who is from Ukraine and praised his resilience amid conflict in his home country.
Posting a sweet picture to her story, she wrote, “The way you have been able to power through this week given everything that’s going on I take my hat off to you @denysamson and I am so beyond proud of you. I‘ve got you always , let’s go partner!
“Also massive thank you to everyone who reached out to send their love to Denys this week, you’ve no idea how much it means to him.”
Throughout this season so far, Erica and Denys have been one of the highest scoring couples, we are sending love and support to Denys at this time and look forward to seeing him back on next week’s show.