Strictly pro reveals family tragedy behind ‘hard week’ comment after landing in bottom two four times…

A STRICTLY Come Dancing professional has revealed his hidden heartbreak after landing in the bottom two four times.

The BBC One show star, 29, who arrived on the series this year, shared his grief on Instagram following the tragic loss of a much-loved family member.

 

Sign up for The Irish Sun newsletter

 

 

Thank you!

 

A Strictly Come Dancing pro has revealed his hidden heartbreak off-screenCredit: BBC

Julian, 29, posted an image to his Instagram page which read ‘fly high mamie Micheline’Credit: Supplied

Julian shared an instagram story from the funeral
Australian-born dancer Julian Caillon, who joined this series as one of the new pros alongside fellow newcomer Alexis Warr and 18 returning professionals, captured an image of a coffin being laid to rest.

Alongside it, he wrote the words: “Fly high mamie Micheline.”

It is unclear how Julian is related to the deceased but The Sun has contacted a rep for the show for comment.

Fans on Reddit were quick to react to his personal turmoil – especially as he has battled his grief while also landing in the tense Dance Off four times with partner Balvinder Sopal, 46.

read more strictly

This has led some fans to suggest the BBC show judges “have it in” for the duo.

One posted on the forum: “Thoughts are with Julian, hopefully he’s doing ok and looking after himself. Grieving whilst in such a high pressure and competitive job must be difficult.

“I guess this explains why he said after he and Bal’s American Smooth that that week had been very hard for him, but Bal had been a rock for him. I’m sure his grandmother be proud of him being on Strictly and doing so well in his first year.”

Another posted: “Awww! Poor Julian. This explains what he was talking about when he said it was a hard week. I hope he’s got a lot of support around him.

 

Most read in Reality

 

“So glad he’s got Bal as a partner. She’s going to be such a rock for him especially since she went through something similar last year.”

Another mused: “It must be difficult for him to be grieving thousands of miles away from his family. I wish him well.”

One echoed the thoughts and added: “Ah no, poor Julian. That must be so hard to go through this while being so far from home and family.”

One then referred to a huge shake-up in the Strictly rule-book, which mean no couples were eliminated from the Blackpool Tower show this weekend.

They wrote: “I’m sure the no elimination week was what he needed, what with so much going on in his personal life.

“I remember Balvinder speaking about losing her mother just last year in a VT before one of their dances, so I’m sure she’s just the partner he needs right now. Their friendship seems very sweet and genuine.”

 

All your Strictly Come Dancing winners

 

Strictly first kicked off back in 2004, and over the years has crowned 21 winners.

Balvinder, who plays EastEnders’ Suki Panesar, revealed her beloved mother Nirmal had passed away in February 2024.

At the time, she praised the BBC soap for “giving her the strength to carry on”.

SHOW STRUGGLES

Meanwhile, away from the struggles in their personal lives, it has been a tricky Strictly journey for the pair.

Fans have claimed Balvinder “doesn’t deserve” to repeatedly be in the bottom two – with the pair then embroiled in a fix row during their fourth Dance Off.

Over the weekend, they claimed Balvinder was “robbed” after receiving relatively low scores for her Argentine Tango.

They performed their dramatic routine to “The Logical Song” by Supertramp.

EastEnders actress Bal was thrown in the air for flips and turns without seeming to miss a beat.

The dance duo received three 8’s and a 9, leaving them with 33 points.

But it was a strong night after Lewis Cope received 40 points and George Clarke took home a whopping 39 – so in comparison, Bal’s score seemed to pale and land her at the bottom of the leaderboards.

One fan even bluntly said: “Bal has been robbed by that scoring.”

This isn’t the first time fans have jumped to Bal’s defence, believing the show must be setting her up.

She has had to face a total of four dance off’s on the programme so far and keeps scraping through to another round.

Read more on the Irish Sun

Just last week Bal beat her friend Vicky Pattison for a place staying in the competition.

Bal did not go home after her Blackpool performance as it was announced that no one would be eliminated following La Voix’s early exit.

Balvinder Sopal and dancer Julian Caillon have been in the bottom two four timesCredit: PA

Fans have suggested the judges ‘have it in’ for the pairCredit: BBC

It came after they scored low for their Argentine Tango at the weekendCredit: PA