As Ed Balls leaves Strictly Come Dancing – we look at his best bits, from Dad Style to Gangnam Style

ED Balls may not have been the one to beat when it came to this year's Strictly Come Dancing competition - but he is certainly the most memorable!

After his time on the show came to an end on Sunday night, we take a look back at what made viewers fall in love with the former Shadow Chancellor - as well as his best moves on the dancefloor.

His first ever dad dance

The viewing public knew they were in for a treat when they saw the star dance in the first ever group dance in the first episode.

Just after finding out he was paired up with newcomer Katya Jones, Ed shook his thing for the first time - and it went viral after thousands found his 'dad' dancing amusing.

Boom-Chica-Boom!

For movie week, Ed and Katya took on the role of The Mask for a Samba to Cuban Pete - recreating a scene from the 90s Jim Carrey classic to try and sway the judges. Ed's hip action saw a marked improvement - though unfortunately not enough to save him from the bottom of the leaderboard AGAIN.

Ed's first spray tan

Ed fully embraced dancing life when he got his first ever spray tan ahead of the fifth week of live shows. Katya, who by this point he had become close with, cheered him on as he took to the booth - and the results were positively glowing.

Ed vs. Honey G

Ed was constantly compared to X Factor's Honey G during his time on the show - mainly due to their moniker's as their respective shows so-called 'joke' acts.

However, Honey G took their unlikely rivalry to the next level when she said live on-air: “I’d like to challenge Ed Balls to a dance off, challenge me any day. He knows where I am.”

He later let the North Weezy rapper down by telling telly host Lorraine Kelly: "I’m afraid, my answer is that i’m trying to avoid dance-offs at the moment."

Ed's Balls Up in the Air

Things nearly came crashing down for Ed and Katya when the pair decided to challenge themselves with a series of tricky lifts during an American Smooth to Is This The Way to Amarillo?

In one daring lift, Ed almost sent Katya flying after flinging her up on his shoulder and nearly dropping her.

Undeterred, the feisty pair finished the song by doing the lift again – with slightly more success as the crowd cheered them on.

His Laurel and Hardy Quickstep

As his time as the comic relief on the show started to wear thin with viewers, both the studio audience and those watching at home were surprised to find that his quickstep to The Beatles Help! was actually...kind of good.

This dance routine marked a turning point for the star - who was praised for his vast improvement from week one.

Dancing Gangnam Style

Ed and Katya's salsa to Gangnam Style was what everybody needed after a week of tough news. The happy-go-lucky star strutted his heart out - and the fans loved it. The dance was quickly cemented in Strictly history as one of the most memorable - particularly after a daring move from Katya clinging onto a jumping Ed's knees as he recreated the Gangnam Style dance moves live on telly.

His tearful goodbye

There wasn't a dry eye in the house when the judges voted to save Judge Rinder over him in the dance-off - making him the tenth person to be eliminated from the competition.

After finding out he had lost his spot in the final five, Ed tearfully said: “If people watching have had half the fun I’ve had learning to dance with Katya then they must have had a complete blast because it’s been such a fabulous thing.

"The judges, all the supporters, the make-up team, the wardrobe, in particular that band are the best in the world. It’s just wonderful."

Catch Strictly Come Dancing next Saturday at 7pm, with the results show at 7.20pm on Sunday. 

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