Social media star George Clarke broke down in tears during an appearance on Friday’s It Takes Two and his Strictly Come Dancing partner Alexis Warr rushed to comfort him

George Clarke broke down in tears just days ahead of the Strictly Come Dancing final. The YouTuber, 26, could be about to lift the Glitterball Trophy after making it to the last heat of the BBC Saturday night favourite alongside professional partner Alexis Warr, and the pair appeared together on Friday night’s It Takes Two.
Having been presented with an emotional film in which his family spoke of his growth in confidence in the years since he was a “shy little boy,” it all became a bit too much for George but he insisted that he hasn’t even thought about the idea of winning just yet.
He said: “I don’t think we’ve…sorry…really thought about [winning]. I’ve tried not to this week because I feel like that’s why we’ve really enjoyed the process so much because we’ve been so present. Sorry, this is awful for me.” George was comforted by Alexis, who rubbed his arm, and host Fleur East reassured him that it was “fine” as he struggled to control his emotions.

The social media star, who will face West End actress Amber Davies and her partner Nikita Kuzmin, as well as Lioness Karen Carney and Carlos Gu in the grand final this weekend, is also concerned that he will be on a downer once the show is over and done with, whether he is victorious or not.

He added: “I’ve just focused on each week, I’ve focused on each week and really enjoyed that. It would be incredible to lift the Glitterball Trophy. I’ve got insane amounts of imposter syndrome just getting this far.

“If we go home with the Glitterball Trophy or not, it won’t be a week of celebrations afterwards because I think Sunday, and, especially Monday, will hit incredibly hard not going in.”

As ever, George has been open and honest with his fans online about his journey in the competition. Ahead of sailing through to the final last week, George thanked followers for their support as he insisted that he is “not a performer” to start with but thought at the time that he he might have a chance of getting one step closer to the Glitterball Trophy.

He wrote on Instagram : “Honestly, last night was hands down the most fun we’ve had this whole competition. The general theme for us throughout has been to let go and I think it’s safe to say we did! In the launch show it looked uncomfortable to simply stand on some steps and clap, 12 weeks later and we’re devoting a twerk solo to Craig.

“We are so so grateful always for the support and for the opportunity each week to be able to grow and learn and now we’re one results show away from the final.

“I’m (George) not a performer, never mind a dancer, but I think nights like last night make me believe that maybe changing, fingers crossed that we get one final week to prove it! Love you all, Team Warrkey.” In Saturday’s semi-final, George donned a striking sparkly red outfit as he and Alexis performed a Samba set to Gipsy Kings track Volare for their first dance of the evening, earning a score of 35.

For their second dance of the night, the pair rocked a set of school uniforms as they did the Charleston set to We No Speak Americano, and were awarded a 37, bringing their total to 72 for the evening. It came after the social media star told fans what the ballroom really looks like, admitting the studio is considerably smaller and rather different from how it appears on television.

Chatting on The Useless Hotline podcast with co-host Max Balegde, George shared his initial reaction upon seeing the set for the first time. “It was really interesting because I’ve seen it live before in Blackpool, which is obviously a much bigger place. The studio is quite small,” he said. Max cheekily responded: “I thought that when I first saw the studio. I was like, ‘Oh, this is s**t’.”

George quickly jumped in to clarify: “Oh, it’s not s**t. It’s just smaller. You’re just like, ‘Oh… this is what it is…’” Having made it through to the semi-finals of the long-running dance show, George revealed how clever production techniques create the illusion of a much larger space on screen.
“The dance floor itself looks so much bigger on TV than it does in real life,” he explained. “It looks like two different rooms to what I’m seeing.”