Sergeant quits "Strictly"

By Michael Holden

LONDON (Reuters) - Former political correspondent John Sergeant quit the BBC show "Strictly Come Dancing" on Wednesday, saying his continuing presence was becoming a "joke too far."

Sergeant's dancing efforts incurred the scorn of the four judges on the hugely popular show but won him an army of fans among viewers for his sense of fun.

The public constantly voted to keep him on the show despite the 64-year-old regularly finishing bottom of the judges' scoreboard.

However, after mounting criticism from some of the ousted contestants and their professional dance partners, Sergeant said he had decided to quit, adding he found it "rather absurd" that he was in this position.

"I am sorry to say I have decided to leave Strictly Come Dancing. It was always my intention to have fun on the show and I was hoping to stay in as long as possible," he said in a statement.

"The trouble is that there is now a real danger that I might win the competition. Even for me that would be a joke too far."

Matters came to a head after actress Cherie Lunghi, who was tipped as a possible winner, was voted off last week's programme.

Afterwards, she said the show was becoming a "soap opera" with some people working hard to compete while Sergeant won viewers' support thanks merely to his character and cheerful relationship with dance partner Kristina Rihanoff.