Strictly Come Dancing host Tess Daly has pledged her support for John Sergeant following recent criticism of his performance in the competition.

John has received low scores from the show’s judges in recent weeks, but the broadcaster has continually been saved by the public vote.

Bruno Tonioli recently revealed that he’s “appalled” with the public voters who have supported John, adding, “I don’t understand it. It’s a dancing competition.”

Writing in her column for The Mirror, Tess hit back saying, “He may not be the best dancer but he’s adorable and people power is keeping him in the show. At the end of the day, it’s not BBC Sport – it’s an entertainment show.

“Dancing talent will eventually prevail in the competition, but for now people enjoy watching John dance. He has the feelgood factor and, with the recession, we could all do with a bit of that.”