Swann song for former England cricketer following dance-off

Graeme Swann has got the boot from Strictly Come Dancing after a dance off with highscoring Ashley Roberts.

The former England cricketer, 39, was the ninth celebrity to leave the BBC1 show.

Ex-Pussycat Doll Roberts, 37, who found herself in the danceoff with professional partner Pasha Kovalev, dropped four points for this week’s samba routine after receiving a perfect score of 40 during the previous round in Blackpool.

All the judges said they would save Roberts, who has sparked some controversy for her level of previous dance experience.

Craig Revel Horwood called the decision “a nobrainer”, while Darcey Bussell said Roberts had the more “technically efficient performance”.

Bruno Tonioli stated: “No disrespect but it’s evident. Overall much, much stronger on every level.”

Head judge Shirley Ballas said she agreed with her fellow judges.

And even Swann, who had stumbled during his routine on Saturday with professional partner Oti Mabuse, admitted: “I’d have voted for Ashley and Pasha as well.

“I can’t quite believe I was put against them.”

He said: “I was on borrowed time, unless I learned to fly or something”.

On Saturday’s show the judges had been left baffled following a technical glitch as they tried to give points to the contestants for their combined lindyhop-athon.

Roberts and Kovalev were eventually declared the winners of the group dance.

Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday at 6.50pm on BBC1.