JODIE KIDD - SERGEANT PERFORMS LAST DANCE ON STRICTLY

SERGEANT PERFORMS LAST DANCE ON STRICTLY

Crowd favourite John Sergeant has performed his final dance on BBC1's reality TV show Strictly Come Dancing before he quits this week.

The former BBC news correspondent and political journalist, 64, danced the waltz with partner Kristina Rihanoff to the music of Come Away With Me in his final show.

Sergeant announced his decision amid much public fanfare earlier this week, saying his continued participation with a diehard legion of fans gave him a chance of winning the show - something he described as a "frightening thought".

His retirement means no one was voted off the programme, leaving Jodie Kidd, Tom Chambers, Christine Bleakley, Austin Healey, Lisa Snowdon and Rachel Stevens still in the competition.

Speaking on the show, Segeant continued to deny speculation that he had been asked to leave the show by the producers because his continued participation - despite finishing bottom of the judges' voting three weeks in a row - was making a farce of the programme.

He told host Bruce Forsyth that he "certainly wasn't pushed" into announcing his resignation.

Of former contestant Sergeant, judge Arlene Phillips said: "I'm always sad if a contestant leaves of choice, because you are always expecting to let the public vote them in or out.

"But John is his own person and he has his own reasons for doing this."