Strictly Come Dancing's fourth casualty is revealed

Amy Dowden and Brian Conley performing their final dance during the results show for BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing Photo: Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire SHOWBIZ_Strictly_153601.JPG

The 56-year-old partnered with Amy Dowden, 26, was sent home by the judges after facing the dance-off against Sunday Brunch presenter Simon Rimmer, 54.

He joked about Dowden: ‘If I was only 30 years younger... and not fussy! Me and you, I am not kidding!

‘I want her to be on this show forever and ever because I want everyone out there to know how special this lady is. She is a star and I love her to bits.’

Conley also joked about bonding with rival dancer Aston Merrygold on the BBC One show.

‘There has been someone by my side all the way through this journey who has been just there every moment and that is... Aston! I love him and I am really going to miss him,’ he said.

He said of his Strictly experience: ‘I have loved everything about this, I truly have. It’s one of the greatest shows.’

Craig Revel Horwood and Darcey Bussell both opted to save Rimmer and his dance partner Karen Clifton in Sunday’s results show and head judge Shirley Ballas said she would have made the same decision.

Revel Horwood said: ‘Both couples made mistakes in that, one fell-over and then the other one blanked before they went into a back-drop so it made it a really, really difficult choice. But the couple I am going to save just for that little bit of swivel is Simon and Karen.’