Jeff Stelling slams 'unfair' reason Paul Merson left BBC Strictly Come Dancing's

Jeff Stelling was clearly disappointed that his friend Paul Merson was given the boot from Strictly Come Dancing at the weekend.

The ex-Arsenal player's journey on the hit BBC show came to an end after five weeks, and his former Sky Sports workmate had strong words about the result.

Taking to Twitter, Jeff, who was born in Hartlepool, expressed pride in Paul, while also critiquing the inclusion of contestants with prior dance experience.

He said: "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."

He then praised Paul's performance: "But you were brilliant," a sentiment echoed by his fans. One replied: "Completely agree @JeffStelling should be zero to hero during the course of the series," and another commented, "Agree Jeff...Merse is exactly what the show should be about. And didn't he enjoy himself too! Brilliant."

This follows after Paul and his dance partner Karen Hauer faced JB Gill and Amy Dowden in the dreaded dance-off, with all judges voting to save JB Gill for Halloween week's show.

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.", reports the Mirror.

After Sunday's results, some fans believe they've spotted a new Strictly curse. They suggest there's a pattern linking the dance-off to when the couples perform.

A number of social media users have pointed out that JB and Amy's early performance on Saturday night may have doomed them, similar to Shayne Ward and Nick Knowles who also danced first in earlier episodes.

"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."