Jeff Stelling slams former colleague Paul Merson's Strictly Come Dancing exit

Former Arsenal player Paul Merson was the latest celebrity to leave Strictly Come Dancing after the judges sent him home following a dance-off with JLS star JB Gill

Jeff Stelling was less than pleased after his friend Paul Merson was given the boot from BBC's Strictly Come Dancing at the weekend. The former Arsenal footballer's departure from the beloved dancing competition came after a five-week stint.

However, his former Sky Sports mate wasn’t feeling the decision, taking to Twitter to call it "unfair".

Expressing his annoyance on the social media platform, Jeff, 69, showed support for his buddy beneath Paul's initial gratitude message. He penned: "Proud of you Merse. Shame they ruin the show by including people who are trained dancers or have musical theatre backgrounds. Should be people who don't have any dance training imo."

The sports broadcaster didn't stop there, adding praise with a heartfelt: "But you were brilliant," – a sentiment reflected in the reaction from his followers. Fans chimed in, aligning with Jeff's stance.

One tweeted: "Completely agree @JeffStelling should be zero to hero during the course of the series,", while another concurred: "Agree Jeff...Merse is exactly what the show should be about. And didn't he enjoy himself too! Brilliant.", reports the Mirror.

This outpouring occurs after a tense dance-off between JB Gill with Amy Dowden and Paul paired with professional Karen Hauer, which resulted in Paul's exit as all judges voted for JB to stay. Now, the adored duo JB and Amy will return to dazzle audiences during Strictly's famed Halloween Special.

Speaking after his departure from the show, Paul was full of compliments for his dance partner. He enthused: "It's been amazing, honestly, amazing. I loved every minute of it, I've had a great teacher. 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."

After Sunday's results, fans speculated about another potential Strictly curse, linking the dance-off to when the couples performed. A number of social media users suggested that JB and Amy's early performance on Saturday night led to their dance-off predicament.

Viewers with a keen eye pointed out that this pattern seemed to repeat for Shayne Ward, who also found himself in the dance-off after being the first to perform earlier in the month.

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"Crazy how JB danced first last night and in the dance off, and Shayne ward danced first last week and too himself there. Going first is a curse lol," commented one fan. Another added: "Ooh that's a bit of a shock, but I think sometimes opening the show can put you in a risky position. Easy to forget the first couple especially if they fall in the middle of the leaderboard."