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As the John Sergeant row rumbles on, have your say and watch twinkle toes Andrew Castle give his verdict
The 64-year-old received strong public support since the show started, but the judges have been highly critical of his dancing and have put him bottom of the table week after week.
The pressure on Sergeant gathered momentum last Saturday when Cherie Lunghi and her dance partner appealed to the nation not to keep voting for him, and one of the show's judges, Arlene Phillips, accused him of undermining the programme.
"A danger I might win it"
Depsite the vote of confidence from an adoring public, today the former poiltical journalist conceded that enough was enough.
"I am sorry to say I have decided to leave Strictly Come Dancing. It was always my intention to have fun on the show and I was hoping to stay in as long as possible," Sergeant said in a statement released by the BBC.
"The trouble is that there is now a real danger that I might win the competition. Even for me that would be a joke too far. I would like to thank Kristina and all those viewers who have been rooting for me through the series."
Farewell dance
Jay Hunt, controller of BBC One, added: "John has told us of his plans to leave Strictly Come Dancing and we are very sad to see him go. He has been an entertaining contestant and is hugely popular with the viewers.
"We would have liked him to stay but we respect his decision to leave. John and Kristina will be performing a farewell dance this Saturday on the show."
Do you think John Sergeant should have stayed in the show, or is this the right decision? Should the winner of TV shows like Strictly be the person displaying the greatest skill? Let us know your thoughts.
