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01st Oct 2017

Hillsborough survivor’s dance to You’ll Never Walk Alone on Strictly will give you goosebumps

That meant a lot to him

Darragh Murphy

Absolutely incredible.

Hillsborough survivor Simon Rimmer provided plenty of goosebumps when he danced to Liverpool anthem You’ll Never Walk Alone this weekend on Strictly Come Dancing.

The Wallasey-born chef and partner Karen Clifton waltzed to the iconic tune which has been sung by Reds supporters since the 1960s.

The touching performance from Simon, who was present when the Hillsborough disaster took place in 1989, was enough to earn him a safe path through to next week, when he and his partner will perform again.

Strictly judge Shirley, who hails from Leasowe, was moved to the point that she offered Simon a congratulatory kiss and said: “It’s a very, very special piece of music that you danced to today.”

Prior to the waltz, which was admittedly imperfect but undeniably emotional, Simon revealed just what that particular piece of music meant to him.

“It will probably make me feel emotional – I feel it now just talking about it,” he said, as transcribed by the Liverpool Echo.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m incredibly focused and determined and I’m working my backside off – but there’s an extra dimension with it being You’ll Never Walk Alone.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZiPNyIhaGb/?hl=en&taken-by=rimmersimon

“It’s not only Liverpool’s theme tune before every game, but it’s got that association with Hillsborough. I was at Hillsborough that day and so it has an even more poignant meaning to me.

“I stood and watched that terrible tragedy unfold and so aside from the lovely things that You’ll Never Walk Alone gives me, it is also so synonymous with that terrible, terrible day.”