The Ed ‘dad dancer’ Balls memoirs are strictly a total flop

FoRmeR Shadow Chancellor ed Balls, who nearly dropped his Strictly dance partner Katya Jones last week, has suffered another humiliating setback.

He lost his seat at last year’s general election, and his attempts to write about his legacy seem to be faring as badly as he does on the dance floor.

Last month, Balls, who has been entertainingly inept on the BBC1 show, released his memoirs Speaking out: Lessons In Life and Politics to much fanfare. But the book has been languishing on the shelves, shifting a shade over 6,000 copies since it went on sale in September.

His publishers, Hutchinson, who called the autobiography ‘a unique window into a rarely seen world’ when they acquired it at auction earlier this year, had hoped that Balls’ star-making turn on Strictly would boost the book’s appeal.

Despite lasting on the show longer than anyone had predicted — he was saved by viewers again at the weekend as pop star anastacia left the show — fans have not been persuaded to buy the tome.

‘ Speaking out is a brave and revelatory account by an influential thinker and an extraordinary politician,’ editorial director Tom avery said in may. ‘It is a project that is unique in its candour, eloquence and range: a reckoning, a record of a remarkable career, and a rallying cry. It is a work of real importance.’

Just five months later, however, and executives have changed their tune dramatically. ‘I rather wish we’d done a book instead on his time on Strictly, even if it is often “dad dancing” at its worst,’ a source at the publishing house tells me.

although it is unknown how much the prancing politician was paid for penning his magnum opus, it appears that, unlike his former colleague Tony Blair, who earned a £ 4.6 million advance for his memoirs six years ago, Balls won’t be dancing all the way to the bank.

He’S known for his flamboyant outfits, but cross- dressing artist Grayson Perry has sadly given up on his dream of taking part in Strictly Come Dancing.

Despite having dropped many hints over the years that he would love to participate, the Turner Prize winner has apparently never been asked.

‘I used to love dancing,’ he laments. ‘There was a point where I would have gone for Strictly, but I think I’m too old now. my body’s a bit crook.’