Early bath for Adams as injury forces footballer to quit Strictly
Hamstring problems rule out former Arsenal captain amid rumours football fans were ensuring his survival
‘From the very first moment you stepped on the floor with your tango, you have given us 100 per cent’
TONY ADAMS has quit Strictly Come Dancing after suffering an injury, following weeks of speculation he was being spared from an early exit from the show by the votes of football fans.
The former Arsenal captain has made it through eight weeks on the BBC show despite low scores, but he bowed out last night after reportedly suffering an injury on Saturday evening.
Adams became the seventh celebrity to leave in the current series after the injury meant he was unable to take part in last night’s dance-off.
Speaking on the show, presenter Tess Daly said: “Due to an injury sustained on Saturday night, Tony is unable to take part in the dance-off and has decided to withdraw.”
His departure comes after growing suspicions that Arsenal fans were voting in great numbers to keep the club legend on the show, despite the low scores awarded to him and professional partner Katya Jones by the judges.
Final scores are a combination of judges’ marks and those sourced through a public vote, a feature that has led to popular contestants surviving despite a lack of dancing ability. The phenomenon has been referenced by Ian Wright, Adams’s former Arsenal teammate, who said: “Arsenal fans are not going to leave him. They are not going to leave him. They are not going to stop and I don’t want them to stop.”
Adams’s exit from the show comes following a week of hamstring issues in the days building up to Strictly’s weekend shows, a problem his dance partner had described as “worrying”.
The pair had been due to compete in the dance-off to decide who would remain on the show, but as a result of the decision to withdraw, their rivals DJ Tyler West and professional dancer Dianne Buswell went through by default.
Speaking following his exit, Adams said: “It’s been emotional, guys, I cried for the first month. I came in here with one message, if you’ve got an issue with mental health then please don’t suffer in silence and reach out for help.”
Adams said that he believed dancing would be “good for the mind”.
Head judge Shirley Ballas told him: “From the very first moment you stepped foot on the floor with your tango, to the last moment and the last kick, you have given us 100 per cent.”