Ian Wright has seen the funny side to fellow football pundit Paul Merson’s stint in Strictly Come Dancing.

Poking fun at his former Arsenal team-mate Ian took to social media to comment on a video Paul had uploaded of his efforts on the hit dance show this weekend. Viewers saw Paul take to the dancefloor alongside professional dance partner Karen Hauer to perform a disco-inspired samba to the sounds of Carwash by Rose Royce.

While the performance didn’t score too highly with all of the judges, Paul made the most of his big moment dressed in a blue satin shirt and black trousers as he hot-footed it around the studio. While it’s certainly a change from the kind of footwork fans are used to seeing from the former professional footballer, he admitted in his post he was “enjoying myself” as he shared the clip with his followers.

However, Ian couldn’t help but laugh at him as he commented on the post sharing “Merse you’re killing me,” adding a series of crying laughing and love heart emojis. Sadly for Paul this week saw his Strictly journey come to an end as he was voted out following a tense dance off with JB Gill and his dance partner Amy Dowden.

Paul Merson Karen Hauer
Paul pulled out his best footwork for the samba 
Image:
PA)

The four judges – Anton du Beke, Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse – were asked to give their verdict on who they wanted to stay in the competition, with all of them putting JB and Amy through. As a result, it was time for Paul and Karen to bid farewell to the Strictly dancefloor – but not before Paul had one more parting dig at his beloved Arsenal’s rival team Tottenham before he left the dancefloor for good.

Asked about his time on the show, he told host Tess Daly: “When asked by Tess about their time on the show, Paul said: “It’s been really good. For anybody I talk to, I would say you’ve got to go on this show. It’s amazing – everybody,” before he jokingly added: “There’s a Tottenham fan over there called Lincoln and even he’s nice!”

Paul Merson Karen Hauer
Paul and Karen had to perform in the dance-off 
Image:
PA)
Paul then shared his admiration for his professional dance partner Karen, adding: “It’s been amazing, honestly, amazing. I loved every minute of it, I’ve had a great teacher. She’s been amazing, absolutely amazing and I couldn’t wish for a better coach. I’ve loved every minute of it. I can dance now – I’ve won because I can dance, I couldn’t dance before and I can half dance now. It’s a bonus, absolute bonus.”

Meanwhile, Karen said of Paul: “You’ve been a joy. I’ve never giggled this much. My abs are really tight now. I am so proud of you. Every week you have showed up, you have improved. You’re what Strictly is about and I want to thank you for bringing such joy and just showing everyone that it is possible with a little bit of work and lots of giggles.”