*** Tina O’Brien’s heartache over Strictly exit ***
TINA O'Brien says she's devastated to leave Strictly - because it was helping her to get over her recent love split.
The ex-Corrie actress parted from cameraman Nick Cox, 35, last month after meeting him on the set of Waterloo Road earlier this year.
And the 27-year-old - who got the boot last night after ending up in the bottom two with Felicity Kendal - said being on the dance series took her mind off her personal troubles.
Tina told TV Biz: "After my relationship with Nick ended, dancing was therapeutic. It gave me more focus and something to think about."
Tina, who split from her old Corrie co-star Ryan Thomas last November, was dealt another blow last month when she caught chicken pox from daughter Scarlett, two.
She had to miss a week of the competition - and she reckons that may have contributed to her getting voted out.
She said: "It could have hindered my progress because I felt run down and really fluey - so it took me a while to get back into it again."
Tina said she was "really sad" to make her exit after five weeks and vowed to keep in touch with her American partner Jared Murillo, 22, pictured with her on Saturday doing the Argentine tango.
She plans to book dancing lessons - and hopes Kara Tointon, 27, will win the show.
She said: "From the beginning, Kara's been an amazing dancer. I love her dearly, she's the most lovely person in the world."
Tina said of Strictly: "Even though it's been terrifying it's been the most fun I've had in my life and I've got a Strictly-shaped hole in my heart that hurts at the moment."