Dan Walker explains reason Tony Adams is still on Strictly

Journalist Dan Walker has opened up on why he thinks underdog Tony Adams remains in the competition despite some harsh criticism and scoring from the judges. The 45-year-old 5 News presenter was partnered with Nadiya Bychkova last year and said he sympathises with former football star Tony.Dan and Nadiya were eliminated in week 11 of last year’s competition.At the time, Dan often responded to the backlash from viewers who disputed him getting through on some occasions.Giving his view on this year’s competition, he commented: “Well, it’s not a dance competition, is it?”It’s half a popularity contest, it’s an entertainment show and it doesn’t matter how good you are on the dance floor, you’ve got to connect with the audience.”READ MORE: Uproar as Tom Bower calls for Meghan to lose title over Duke’s memoir Strictly: Dan defended Tony Adams (Image: BBC) Strictly: Tony has consistently been near the bottom of the leader board (Image: BBC)Speaking to The Mirror, he continued: “Look at how Tony [Adams] and Katya [Jones] have done – he’s just been fantastic and I think he’s got a few more weeks in him. It’s just entertainment.”At a time when we just need to sit down and watch telly and have a bit of fun, Tony provides that.”Once people saw him as England captain, this brilliant footballer, trouble with alcohol at the end of his career and he’s come through the other side and he’s very thankful for that and what he can do with that.”Tony has so far never had to face the dreaded dance-off, despite consistently being close to or at the bottom of the judge’s leaderboard each week. Strictly: Dan spoke out about this year’s show (Image: BBC) Strictly: Full 2022 line up (Image: Express)During last weekend’s Halloween-themed show, Tony donned a devil costume for his Quickstep.As his Arsenal fanbase rallies behind him, it seems he will continue to avoid facing elimination.However, Tony has showed some signs of improvement, achieving a score of 31 on Saturday night – his highest score so far.Despite his typically low scores, he appears to be receiving more votes than any other contestant in the series.DON’T MISS…Carol Kirkwood issues apology over BBC Breakfast blunder [LATEST]Sally Nugent shut down by Jenrick in BBC Breakfast clash [VIDEO]EastEnders’ Kheerat Panesar in race to save Suki [SPOILER]This has caused some backlash each week on social media, with some accusing the show of being “a fix”.The trend continued last weekend, with Strictly fans complaining about the show. Twitter user @simonjuanIII wrote: “Will Mellor gets just ONE mark more than Tony Adams. Is this just to keep the viewing figures up because they need the Arsenal fans #strictly #fix.”@Carolyn26085336 fumed: “Why is Tony Adam’s still there, I have switched off now, what a con  #strictly.”