Strictly Come Dancing star faces backlash after aiming 'dig' at Chris McCausland on It Takes Two

Strictly Come Dancing's Toyah Willcox has caused a stir among viewers after she seemingly took a swipe at fellow contestant Chris McCausland. The 66-year-old singer and her dance partner Neil Jones were the latest pair to be voted off the popular show on Sunday night.

They found themselves in the bottom two, going head-to-head with Paul Merson and Karen Hauer in a nail-biting dance-off, but the judges chose to save Karen and Paul.

Following their departure from the show, Toyah and Neil appeared on Monday's episode of the Strictly spin-off It Takes Two, hosted by Fleur East. During the interview, Fleur asked Toyah if she had any words of wisdom for the remaining contestants, reports .

Toyah responded with a laugh: "If you don't want to do a dance-off, get rid of Chris." Fleur was left momentarily speechless, while Toyah continued to chuckle, adding: "You're all going to face the dance-off."

Neil tried to lighten the mood by joking: "I think she has chosen her winner." However, viewers didn't miss the awkward exchange and quickly took to social media to share their thoughts.

One viewer wrote: "Was it panic I saw on their faces when Toyah said 'get rid of Chris if you don't want to do a dance off ' ...little does she realise Chris is a 100x better dancer than she was and he is there on merit #ItTakesTwo." (sic)

Viewers were left scratching their heads after a #strictly moment, with one tweeting: "#strictly ... Toyah? What was that about? " Another was quick to comment on an awkward exchange: "Oh, Toyah, that's not it! That was awkward for both Fleur and Neil #Ittakestwo." (sic)

One viewer expressed their disapproval: "That was such a nasty dig Toyah just made at Chris. Malicious, vicious and jealous. Good riddance #strictly." (sic)

Speculation was rife among fans, with one asking: "Was Toyah trying to throw Chris under the bus!! #ItTakesTwo." However, Toyah's appearance did win some praise, as a fan tweeted: "Toyah looks great on #ittakestwo." (sic)

Admiration for Toyah's performance was evident, with another pointing out: "Remember Toyah is 66!! She did amazing on the show." (sic)

And the compliments continued, with someone adding: "Well said Toyah about your age. Just like proved last year as well. Age is definitely no barrier to success. #Strictly." (sic)

Strictly Come Dancing continues on BBC One and iPlayer.