It's farewell to Simon Rimmer as he becomes the fifth celebrity to be voted off Strictly Come Dancing. The Sunday Brunch presenter faced Saturdays singer Mollie King in the dance off on the show's Halloween special, but sadly Simon didn't get enough votes to stay in the competition. All four judges opted to save Mollie and her dance partner AJ Pritchard. So it's a fond goodbye to Simon and his professional dance partner Karen Clifton.
Simon Rimmer and his dance partner Karen Clifton say farewell
On hearing the result, Simon said: "Do you know it has been the most amazing experience ever, you know, from the minute I walked in through the door. The Strictly experience is just so positive, every single person involved in it is so positive. And like, all of that lot up there, all the rest of the class of 2017, are just magnificent people. All the pro dancers are amazing."
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Simon faced Mollie King in the dreaded dance off
He added: "But the biggest thank you obviously is to Karen who has just been amazing, who has convinced this lumbering 54 year-old bloke that I could stand-up on a Saturday night and dance in front of millions of people and she has become you know, a proper friend not just to me but to all my family and for that I can’t thank you enough.”
Karen said: “A complete beginner but you know what you’ve grown to be such a great performer and I’ve loved every second really and it’s been a privilege. And thank you for all the food!”
On Twitter, fans were sad to see Simon and Karen leave the show. One told them: "Will miss seeing you dance, you were one of the few that had never danced before, you did very well." Another follower wrote: "You did yourself proud. You embraced #Strictly with determination and positivity. You can now dance. Well done Simon."
