DANCING On Ice pro Vanessa Bauer broke down in tears during the live semi-final tonight.
The stunning star, 26, became overwhelmed with emotion after her partner Joey Essex mentioned her losing her beloved dad last year.
Vanessa quickly became choked and looked up, as if to fight back tears, during the semi-final of the ITV1 show.
She and Joey then embraced as he comforted his clearly emotional partner.
It came as the pair performed a skate that was dedicated to Joey’s late mum, who took her own life when he was just ten years old.
After getting through the poignant performance, Joey paid tribute to Vanessa for helping him get through it, before pointing out that she could relate to the skate as she also lost a parent last year.
“Obviously I did that for my mum but I also did that for Vanessa,” Joey told hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly WIlloughby.
“She has been a great support for me. This week has been really emotional and Vanessa lost her dad last year too.
“Hopefully anyone watching this skate tonight can look at it and smile, and yeah, there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
Appearing to be taken by surprise, Vanessa bit her lip and struggled to keep it together, putting her head on Joey’s shoulder.
“Give her a cuddle,” chipped in Holly. “She needs a cuddle.”
As the pair hugged, viewers at home were deeply touched by the display of emotion.
“Really feel for Vanessa,” one fan wrote, adding a heartbroken emoji.
“Seeing Vanessa cry broke my heart,” said a second. “Joey’s mum would be proud as hell of him.”
“Joey and Vanessa crying has broken me,” chipped in a third.
Sadly the performance was not enough to save Joey and Vanessa for the skate-off.
They landed in the bottom three with Mollie Gallagher and Siva Kaneswaran.
But the judges unanimously voted to save Joey and Vanessa, sending them through to next week’s final alongside The Vivienne and Nile Wilson.
Mollie and Siva were both sent home, thanks to a brutal double elimination.
