BALLS OUT
Politician Ed Balls leaves Strictly Come Dancing after facing off against Judge Rinder
The judges voted unanimously to turf out the favourite after his performance of I Can't Get No Satisfaction
ED Balls was ruthlessly kicked off Strictly by the judges last night but declared: “I’m glad to be leaving on a high.”
The fan favourite, 49, found himself in the bottom two dance-off for the first time against Judge Rinder.
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But Ed’s hilarious tango failed to woo judges, who caused outrage after admitting they were gunning for him.
The defiant ex-Shadow Chancellor said: “I loved doing that tango, that’s the best we have ever done it.
“I’m sad that I’m not going to be doing it next week, but I’m really glad to have been here and made it this far. It’s fabulous.”
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His exit caused a backlash after we revealed on Saturday that bosses wanted him ejected — and led to tributes from his old political opponents.
Panellist Darcey Bussell, 47, told millions of listeners on Chris Evans’ Radio 2 breakfast show she wanted him “out” a day before he had even danced.
The judges made it clear they had had enough of Ed’s “novelty act”.
They finally got their chance to dump him last night after the dance-off. He is the tenth competitor to crash out.
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Ex-pro dancer James Jordan accused the Beeb of trying to influence the public vote. He said: “It’s really unfair what Darcey did. This is an entertainment show, not a dancing show, because it has a public vote.
“I’m not saying it’s a fix because there still is a public vote but they’re trying to use some influence over it.”
During the show, Bruno Tonioli mocked Ed before its Cha Cha Challenge, which allowed the judges to award the celebs vital extra points.
When asked by host Tess Daly what they were looking for, he replied: “Well, first you have to stand out for the right reasons . . . Ed.”
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And Craig Revel Horwood told him after his tango — where Ed presented him with a rose mid-routine — that “this won’t save you on this occasion”.
Fans last night tore into the judges, with Magnus Derekson tweeting: “I’m genuinely livid at the clear fix.”
Another wrote: “They’ve ousted Ed by rigging points system.”
One viewer added: “He’s been the most improved dancer of them all. Is that not the point of this show?”
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Westminster joined in the tributes, with ex-PM David Cameron tweeting: “Strictly won’t be the same without you.”
And former Chancellor George Osborne, Ed’s former political sparring partner, added: “An amazing achievement — well done, @edballs. That took guts.”
The public had saved the ex-politician for ten weeks with nearly 500,000 extra switching over to watch him.
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Week two was the turning point for Ed with his flamboyant flapping actions to The Banjo’s Back in Town.
His entertainment value was confirmed when he transformed into The Mask the following week. There was a major blunder when Ed almost dropped Katya in another routine.
But by week eight he was the star with his rendition of Psy’s Gangnam Style being viewed more than 700,000 times online. He almost trumped it the next week by being dropped into the studio on a burning piano to Great Balls of Fire.
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Last night, wife MP Yvette Cooper, 49, watched from the back of the audience after attending the studio every week.
Ed paid tribute to pro-partner Katya Jones, 26, saying: “I couldn’t have got beyond week two without her. I’m going to miss her because it’s been a blast.”
Judges’ favourite Danny Mac scored another perfect 40 and was tied at the top with Louise Redknapp after she won the Cha Cha Challenge. They will be in Saturday’s quarter-final with Ore Oduba, Claudia Fragapane and Judge Rinder.
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Catch Strictly Come Dancing next Saturday at 7pm, with the results show at 7.20pm on Sunday.
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