Why you should Strictly NEVER ask Ed for a lift!
STRICTLY flop Ed Balls learned the hard way last night that pride really does come before a fall.
The former Shadow Chancellor had hoped to impress with a series of heart-stopping lifts as he danced an American Smooth with his partner Katya Jones to the classic Tony Christie song Is This The Way To Amarillo.
But on one occasion Balls almost stumbled and nearly dropped Jones on the floor as he struggled to retain his balance.
Then he tried to prove he could do the lift by hoisting Jones again as they approached the judges’ bench for their scores.
But Balls, who had started his routine as a hitch-hiker looking for a lift, was told by judge Bruno Tonioli: ‘I think that was a ride that nearly ended in disaster.
‘I thought, oh my God, he is going to drop her.’
Waspish colleague Craig Revel Horwood said the routine had given the impression they were fighting each other and the pair ended up with a lowly score of 18. Before taking to the dancefloor, Balls had joked about tapping into the comic talent of Peter Kay, who sent up the song for Comic Relief in 2005.
Fellow contestant and Irish TV presenter Laura Whitmore was given a bye through to next weekend’s show after pulling out last night with an ankle injury.
It is the latest setback for the show after Will Young quit without explanation, and then allegations of racism when three black and Asian contestants were voted off in the opening weeks.
Veteran dancer Brendan Cole also missed last night’s show because of ill-health, but claims that a flu bug had decimated the professional dancers were denied by the BBC.