Paul Merson has revealed he shares a “history” with one of the Strictly Come Dancing judges.
The sports legend was the fourth star to be eliminated from the BBC contest and he appeared on the BBC Two spin-off programme It Takes Two on Monday (October 21) evening to discuss his exit.
During his conversation with host Fleur East, Paul disclosed that he and Anton Du Beke have “been to a few dos” together after she noted that Anton had scored him higher than the other adjudicators.
Paul and Karen Hauer faced off against JB Gill and Amy Dowden in the dreaded dance-off, but all four judges chose to retain the JLS singer in the competition.
Consequently, it was time for Paul and Karen to say goodbye to the Strictly dance floor – but not before Paul took a final swipe at his beloved Arsenal’s rival team Tottenham before he exited the dance floor permanently, reports the Mirror.
When quizzed about his experience on the show, he told presenter Tess Daly: “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,” before he humorously added: “There’s a Tottenham fan over there called Lincoln and even he’s nice!”.
Heaping accolades on his dance partner Karen, he said: “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.”
Karen returned the compliments to Paul, hailing him as the epitome of what Strictly stands for, lauding his significant progression. She remarked: “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.”
As Strictly progresses, next week promises to be a Halloween extravaganza, with the remaining 11 celebrity contestants set to embrace their inner ghouls in a bid to impress the judges and viewers with performances to iconic Halloween anthems.
Strictly: It Takes Two airs weeknights on BBC Two at 6.30pm