Who is Paul Merson? Meet the Strictly Come Dancing 2024 contestant and former England footballer
The former sportsman has been paired with Karen Hauer.
After a successful Week 4, Strictly Come Dancing is in full swing for Paul Merson and Karen Hauer, who finally impressed the judges following a shaky start to the competition.
Merson's Quickstep to I Won’t Dance by Fred Astaire saw the former Arsenal man pick up 23 points, placing him ahead of the returning Nick Knowles and a disappointed Punam Krishan in the leaderboard.
Is a push for the Glitterball trophy now on?!
It's worth noting that Paul is certainly not the first ex-footballer to throw his hat in the Strictly ring, following on from Tony Adams, David James and Peter Shilton, but will he be the first to win it?
Read on for everything you need to know about Strictly Come Dancing 2024 contestant Paul Merson, and find out what he had to say about taking part.
Who is Paul Merson?
Age: 56
Job: Pundit and former footballer
Instagram: @paulmerseofficial
Paul Merson is a former footballer and manager, who played for Arsenal, Middlesbrough, Aston Villa - where he was made captain - and Portsmouth.
He was also part of many tournaments such as the FA Cup, the Euros and the World Cup. Beyond his football playing days, Merson became the manager of Walsall for two years between 2004 and 2006.
He now has an extensive media career which includes writing sports columns for the Daily Star and being a pundit on Sky Sports.
Paul Merson's Strictly journey so far
Scoreboard
Week 1: American Smooth (2+4+5+6) = 17
Week 2: Salsa (2+4+4+5) = 16
Week 3: Cha Cha (3+5+5+6) = 19
Week 4: Quickstep (4+6+6+7) = 23
What will Paul Merson dance to in Week 5 on Strictly?
Paul Merson will be performing the Samba to Car Wash by Rose Royce alongside his Strictly pro-Karen Hauer.
What has Paul Merson said about joining Strictly 2024?
When he was announced as one of the contestants for this year's season, Merson said: "Joining Strictly is a whole new ball game for me, but I’m going to tackle this challenge head on.
"I’m ready to swap the pitch for the ballroom floor, so here’s hoping my two left feet can learn some moves, and you never know, maybe I’ll be taking home the Glitterball Trophy!"
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Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday 19th October at 6:25pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
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