But their exit looks like being anything but the final blow to their friendship.
Kristina Rihanoff has confessed that boxer Joe Calzaghe is 'definitely the type of guy I'd love to have a relationship with'.
Show-stopper: Kristina Rihanoff has told Hello! magazine of her feelings for Joe Calzaghe, who has called her 'one hot chick'
He's a very handsome man, but actually to me the way he is is even more attractive than the way he looks,' the Siberian-born dancer added. 'We really, really like each other.'
Whispers that the couple are more than just friends have been circulating ever since they began training for the show.
Strictly an item? Whispers that Joe and Kristina are more than just friends have been circulating ever since they began training for the show
Bowing out: Joe and Kristina were voted off Strictly on Saturday night after losing a dance-off to Zoe Lucker and James Jordan.
They have enjoyed a string of dinner dates and the former world light heavyweight champion has been spotted leaving her West London flat after apparently spending the night there.
Calzaghe, 37, recently split from girlfriend Jo-Emma Larvin, while 32-year-old Miss Rihanoff ended a relationship with fellow dancer Vincent Simone earlier this year.
When asked directly if she would like a lasting relationship to develop, Miss Rihanoff said: 'God, I don't really know, to be honest. It's a tough question, which I haven't really asked myself - maybe because I'm afraid to know the answer.'
But she added: 'So far, unfortunately, I've been dealing with men with no backbone, who make promises they cannot keep.'
As for Calzaghe, he was attracted to his dance partner even before Strictly began, calling her 'one hot chick'.
Calzaghe and Miss Rihanoff were voted off Strictly on Saturday night after being outclassed in a dance-off with actress Zoe Lucker and her partner James Jordan.
