A fourth celebrity has had to say goodbye to the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom.
After DIY SOS star Nick Knowles followed Toyah Willcox and Olympian Tom Dean in being eliminated from the competition, Paul Merson has become the latest celebrity to leave.
The 56-year-old and his pro partner Karen Hauer faced a dance off against JLS star JB Gill and Amy Dowden, where they performed their Samba to Car Wash by Rose Royce.
After JB and Amy danced their Jive to Hey Ya! by Outkast, all four judges chose to save The X Factor star.
Speaking about his time on the show, Paul said: ‘It’s been really good. For anybody I talk to, I would say you’ve got to go on this show.
‘It’s amazing – everybody. There’s a Tottenham fan over there called Lincoln and even he’s nice!
‘It’s been amazing, honestly, amazing. I loved every minute of it, I’ve had a great teacher.’
The footballer-turned-pundit went on: ‘She’s been amazing, absolutely amazing and I couldn’t wish for a better coach. I’ve loved every minute of it.
‘I can dance now – I’ve won because I can dance, I couldn’t dance before and I can half dance now. It’s a bonus, absolute bonus.’
Karen added: ‘Absolutely, you’ve been a joy. I’ve never giggled this much.
‘My abs are really tight now. I am so proud of you.
‘Every week you have showed up, you have improved.
‘You’re what Strictly is about and I want to thank you for bringing such joy and just showing everyone that it is possible with a little bit of work and lots of giggles.’
Saturday night’s show saw EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick and Olympian Montell Douglas topping the leaderboard, both on 39 points.
The Gladiator and her partner Johannes Radebe performed a carnival-inspired couple’s choice to Skeleton Move by KG and Zanda Zakuza, and were praised by judge Motsi Mabuse who said they ‘exploded with energy’ on the dancefloor.
Meanwhile Jamie and his partner Michelle Tsiakkas performed a matador-inspired paso doble routine to flamenco song Malaguena by Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona, with Anton Du Beke praising: ‘You will never dance a better dance than that, you were brilliant.’
Both Jamie and Montell are high scorers of the series so far along with Love Island star Tasha Ghouri and professional partner Aljaz Skorjanec, who were given 39 points last week.
Paul had been at the bottom of the leaderboard with 19 points, alongside Morning Live doctor Punam Krishan, on 21 points.
Elsewhere in the show, Craig Revel Horwood took issue with Pete Wicks and his dance partner Jowita Przystal’s rumba routine to Oasis hit Don’t Look Back In Anger.
He said the lifts were ‘totally illegal’ and suggested that in a competition there could be a ‘disqualification’ for the moves, but praised Towie star Pete for the work that had gone into the dance, before they were awarded 22 points, one of the lowest scores of the night.
Meanwhile, comedian Chris McCausland had the nation in tears once again with a beautiful Waltz to You’ll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the Peacemakers.
The combination of comedian Chris’ solo, the beautiful steps, and his VT describing the love he has for his home city of Liverpool led to a lot of emotion in the room, as the dance was dedicated to fans of Liverpool City football club.
Head judge Shirley Ballas described their performance as ‘magical’, with the judges praising the ‘heavenly’ routine.
Go Compare singer Wynne Evans and Katya Jones returned to the ballroom after sparking controversy with behaviour last week, when fans noticed the 52-year-old placed his hand on Katya’s waist and kept reaching it further around her midriff until she removed it with a smile on her face.
Viewers also noticed his failed attempt at securing a high-five from his dance partner, as she pulled a rather unimpressed face before turning to face the camera with a grin as if nothing had happened.
After rumours of a fallout, the couple insisted it had all been a joke, denying any ‘inappropriate’ behaviour and apologising for any offence.
Putting the incident behind them, Wynne and Katya returned to the Strictly ballroom with a united front and performed a Quickstep to Mr. Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra.
They were awarded 33 points, with Craig dishing out the criticism and saying the performance was ‘dishevelled in places’.
Sunday’s results show also featured a routine with Nancy Xu and Dianne Buswell taking centre stage, with the paso doble choreographed by Strictly legend Oti Mabuse.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor also performed her new single Freedom of the Night.
The remaining 11 couples will take to the dancefloor next week for a Halloween special.
Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday at 6:25 with the results show on Sunday at 7:20 on BBC One and iPlayer.
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