Cry me a river: Victoria Pendleton booted off Strictly as viewers find her emotional outbursts 'beyond annoying'
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The tears have sprung thick and fast since she joined Strictly Come Dancing.
But despite another display of raw emotion, Victoria Pendleton could not save herself from elimination on Sunday night.
The retired track cyclist and her professional partner Brendan Cole have been culled from the BBC1 show after finishing bottom of the leader board for the third time.
She's out: Victoria and her partner Brendan Cole have been kicked off Strictly Come Dancing
Tears: Victoria was seen dabbing her eyes as she got kicked out of the competition
Miss Pendleton appeared to alienate some viewers who said her constant crying was ‘beyond annoying’ and called her ‘whiny.’ As a double Olympic gold medal winner and world champion, the 32-year-old is certainly not used to losing.
But she proved an athletic physique is not enough to ensure success on the dance floor with a series of disappointing performances.
Judge Bruno Tonioli was scathing on Saturday night’s show, giving her five points out of ten for her salsa to Robbie Williams’ song Candy.
He said: ‘When you stand still you are fabulous. You have so much to offer and you still don’t deliver. Salsa was all in the rhythm and it wasn’t there.’
Craig Revel Horwood added: ‘Darling, the prop candy sticks had more fluidity.’
Miss Pendleton was so upset after the dance, presenter Tess Daley had to hand her a handkerchief to dab away her tears.
She said: ‘I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. I know, it’s tragic.
‘I’m not a sexy latino dancer. I haven’t had the best results in my Latin dances. I know my dances are quite weak.’
Bottom two: The Olympian was seen in the bottom two with Michael Vaughan
Mr Cole, who was reportedly exasperated by Miss Pendleton’s tearful outbursts during training, could be heard urging her to rein in her emotions.
He muttered: ‘No more tears. Come on, look alive.’
The pair finished last in the leaderboard, which is decided by combining the judges’ scores with the public vote.
On the results show screened last night (25), they lost a dance-off to former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan and professional Natalie Lowe.
Afterwards Mr Cole said: ‘It’s been an emotional roller-coaster but I said from the start I was so excited to be paired with Victoria and I haven’t changed my mind - she has been a diamond to work with.’
Time to say goodbye: Victoria was seen hugging and kissing the other contestant safter being booted off the dancing show
Losing his patience: Brenda seemed to be frustrated with Victoria's efforts
Some viewers were less impressed with Miss Pendleton’s histrionics.
The cyclist famously burst into tears after missing out on a gold medal in her final race at this summer’s Olympic Games.
And the waterworks continued on her debut Strictly appearance, twice during the third episode, and again on Saturday.
Before her final performance, viewer Indi Shambi wrote on Twitter: ‘I swear whiny Victoria Pendleton best get voted out this wk on Strictly SHE CANNOT DANCE her constant crying is BEYOND ANNOYING!!’
No rhythm: Victoria admits she isn't the best dancer, particularly with Latin dances
Twist and shout: Brendan is said to have lost his patience with his partner
Louise Youngs added: ‘Victoria Pendleton cannot take criticism at all, it’s annoying how she always cries.’ Daniel Parker said: ‘Victoria Pendleton. A good looking girl. A very athletic body. An Olympic legend. A truly awful, awful dancer.’
Last month, Miss Pendleton denied she was a ‘sobbing wreck’, saying: ‘I am thick-skinned and being judged on my dancing is not something that cuts that deep.
‘Strictly definitely does put you in a situation where it is fight or flight - you’re either going to learn and get better or crumble.
‘But feeling my heart pounding out of my chest and adrenalin coursing through my veins is something I’ve experienced many times before.
‘And the more I perform, the more I hope people will see that I’m not some sobbing wreck.’
Disappointing! Brendan seemed frustrated to have been booted out of the competition but Victoria admitted she knew dancing wasn't her strong point
A Strictly insider said: ‘For Victoria to stay for eight weeks is an incredible run and she should be proud of herself. But she was kept in above her ability. She lasted longer than other, better dancers such as Richard Arnold and Colin Salmon. The public wanted to see her do well in the show, but there has been a change and people are now voting for dance ability.’
Strictly Come Dancing continues to thrash The X Factor in the ratings, with in excess of two million more viewers last night.
The BBC1 dance show landed an average audience of 10.3 million on Saturday night - the second highest of this series. ITV1’s singing contest pulled in an average 8.2 million - even including viewers of its +1 catch-up channel - continuing its lacklustre ratings for this year.
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