Dixon: 'Widdecombe exit was a relief'

Strictly Come Dancing judge Alesha Dixon has expressed relief at Ann Widdecombe's recent elimination from the show.

The 'Let's Get Excited' singer argued that the clumsy politician's exit from the programme last Sunday was for her own good, as the public would have likely turned on the former MP had she progressed in the competition ahead of superior dancers.

"It was the right time for Ann to go," she told The Mail On Sunday. "If she'd gone on for two weeks more then I think the public would have turned on her. It had come to the point where it was time for the best dancers to be in the competition.

"It was 100% right she went when she did. It wasn't frustration, more relief."

However, Dixon added that she was respectful of viewers' decision to keep Widdecombe in the show and admitted that it was easy to root for the graceless 63-year-old.

"No matter how many times we put her at the bottom of the leaderboard - which was every week - the public are the ones that decide," she said.

"When Ann walked out onto the dance floor the crowd went crazy for her. So you have to acknowledge what she's bringing, but at the same time strike that balance to remember at the end we want the best dancers in the show."

Widdecombe has admitted that it would have been a "travesty" for her to win Strictly Come Dancing.