Adam Peaty addresses his mum's outrage at Strictly elimination

One passionate viewer who had been eagerly following his journey from the start was, of course, his mother Caroline.

Unimpressed with the result of the dance-off, which saw Adam and his professional partner Katya Jones lose out to Tilly Ramsay and Nikita Kuzmin, she used Twitter to make her feelings known, calling it a "total fix" and adding: "I'm not buying the public vote."

This morning, Adam addressed her comments during an interview on BBC Breakfast.

"Mums always massively support their children, and I'm sure your mum all the way through everything you've ever done, the amazing things you've done, she's supported you," presenter Charlie Stayt began. "She said some things about your exit from Strictly, so it's only right you get the chance to [respond]."

Adam said: "I agree with you that mums are always going to support their own, she wanted to see me every Saturday night. You know how mums get.

"Bless her, I love her to bits, she loves me to bits. But I think she wanted me to do a Paso – that's all she wanted me to do!

"But for me, if anyone can lose well, it's me," the Olympic gold medallist continued. "And everyone in that competition, they're all incredible people and I'm glad I'm out because I don't deserve to be there.

"Some of the dancers there... my jaw is dropping. I will always get behind everyone on the show."

Host Naga Munchetty also asked if Adam had "had words" with his mum about her comments on Twitter, to which he replied: "Well, yeah... but you know, it is the way it is, isn't it? I don't want to censor anyone. She's got her thoughts, I've got mine. My thought is the most important one to me, and I had the most incredible time."

Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday at 6:40pm on BBC One. The results show airs Sunday at 7:20pm on BBC One. If you're looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide or visit our Entertainment hub for all the latest news.