A week ago it was M People singer Heather Small who bit the dust on the viewers' vote – despite running rings round the former BBC political correspondent on the dancefloor.

And on Saturday night he was at it again, lumbering his way through an American Smooth with his glamorous partner, Marilyn Monroe-lookalike Kristina Rihanoff.

They scored only 25 out of 40 points for their performance, which was greeted with rapturous applause from the audience but received only faint praise from the judges.

But once again they were saved from the dreaded dance-off despite coming bottom of the score table as the votes poured in on the phone lines. Instead it was actress Cherie Lunghi who became the ninth celebrity to leave the contest, even as the judges praised her "breakthrough" performance.

But Sergeant has defended his continuing presence on the show, saying: "It's funny how judges both in real life and on Strictly Come Dancing lose touch with the views of ordinary people."

A string of fan groups have sprung up across Facebook in tribute to his efforts, one dubbed: "We only vote for John Sergeant to annoy Craig (Revel Horwood, one of the judges)."

But what actually makes him such a bad ballroom dancer?

Colin Frith is director of The Dance Academy based at the Princess Ballroom in Birstall, which has seen so many men sign up for classes since the launch of Strictly Come Dancing that there are now not enough female partners to go round.

He says that while it's possible to teach someone to dance there has to be some natural talent there – and he's not sure John Sergeant's got any.

"Being a good ballroom dancer is about being light on your feet and being able to dance through your ankles.