Ed Balls on Strictly Come Dancing: His best moments

Ed Balls and Katya Jones

Former politician Ed Balls was teamed with professional newcomer Katya Jones for this year's Strictly - and what a partnership it turned out to be. The pair made it through to week 10, despite regularly finding themselves at the bottom of the leaderboard.

The public were perhaps lulled into a false sense of security with Ed and Katya's first dance - a sedate and gentle waltz accompanied by a rendition of Elvis Presley classic Are You Lonesome Tonight?. He scored just 21 points - bottom of the leaderboard for the first (and certainly not last) time.

Balls really got into character during movie week, channelling his inner Jim Carrey for his camp and energetic samba. "I can't quite believe what I've just been witness to," judge Craig Revel Horwood commented, suggesting somebody might have spiked his water. Balls was bottom of the leaderboard again but he made it into week three. Somebody stop him!

It was heart in mouth time whenever Ed attempted any kind of lift. During week five's American smooth to (Is This The Way To) Amarillo, he came seriously close to dropping his partner. Former deputy leader of the Labour party John Prescott wrote on Twitter: "Let's get Ed Balls in the bottom two just to make him do that lift again."

Ed frightened the life out of the judges - not for the first time - as a "mad professor", performing the cha cha for the Halloween special in week six. But at least Ed and Katya were not bottom of the leaderboard - they scored 26 points, one more than Anastacia and Brendan Cole.

His now legendary salsa routine to Gangnam Style in week eight ensured the couple made it through to Blackpool. Judge Bruno Tonioli declared: "I nearly passed out, I'll never recover from that. It's the best worst dance I've seen." Head judge Len Goodman said: "I don't think there's words in the dictionary to describe that." The couple scored 25 points - meaning they were last on the leaderboard but saved by viewers' votes again.

Ed made sure his Blackpool dance went down a storm by making a big entrance - he was lowered down from the ceiling while sitting at a flaming piano to the strains of Great Balls of Fire. Despite some viewers on social media pleading with him to do the decent thing and quit, Balls told BBC Radio 4: "In the end you’ve got to respect the voters."

Ed posed for the camera, Zoolander style, at the start of what would be his final dance on the show - does a career as a supermodel now beckon? The pair danced the tango to (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones. Katya was emotional as the pair exited the show. She said: "I absolutely love this man, it’s my first series and I couldn’t have wished for better."

He gave it his all in Sunday's dance-off, but Ed's time had finally run out. Judge Craig Revel Horwood admitted: "I have secretly enjoyed your dancing, and I have to critique as a judge, but what you provide is fantastic entertainment."

Balls conceded that the judges had been "right" in their decision and that he "couldn't quite match the standard needed to stay in". Judge Rinder was saved instead in the dance-off after performing the rumba with partner Oksana Platero to Bill Withers' Lean on Me. All four judges chose to save him. But Ed - you will be missed.

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