It was a very emotional 'Dancing with the Stars' last night as actor Johnny Ward took to the dance floor after the death of his dad on Saturday. It was his dad's dying wish for him to continue on with the series and Johnny certainly did him proud.

He danced the samba with his partner Emily Barker to 'Shape of You' by Ed Sheeran and earned high praise from the judges who also commended his bravery in performing in the wake of his dad's death.

Brian Redmond said: "The bravery that you showed coming out to perform tonight... I know your father would have been very proud." Speaking of Johnny's performance he added: "What is very difficult for a male dancer to do is a masculine hip action which you achieved."

While Julian said: "I am in love with your dancing. You gave us a no-frills samba tonight. I know the strength and courage it took to get on the floor. You danced for your life tonight. You're a wonderful dancer Johnny and tonight you did a super job." Johnny scored 28 altogether from the judges.

Johnny dedicated the dance to his father and said: "It's been a very difficult week... I'd like to thank all the staff in Tallaght Hospital and Harold's Cross hospice. As much as I enjoy competing in this competition, it comes second and family comes first." Johnny explained that he had of course questioned whether he should dance on Sunday night but his dad asked him to stay in the competition and do it for him.

Viewers were impressed with Johnny's courage at such a heartbreaking time and took to Twitter to praise his performance.