John Sergeant has denied being forced out of BBC1's Strictly Come Dancing.

Sergeant, 64, told a press conference: "Anyone thinking that I can be leant on or bullied does not know me very well.

"I decide to choose my own battles. What I did not want was a bloody battle." Earlier, he said in a statement that there was a chance he could win. "Even for me that would be a joke too far," he said.

Strictly host Bruce Forsyth said he felt sad for Sergeant and said his departure was a "shock".

Bruce added: "I can feel sorry for John and I feel sorry for the dancers, I feel sorry for the judges because they're there to give their professional opinion of the dancing.

"It's a bit sad in a way. I'm sad for John because he's a lovely guy and the whole team adore him."

Sergeant's exit comes after huge public support, but derision from the show's judges and fellow contestants.

Judge Arlene Phillips denied forcing him out. "Not really. If you look back, we've actually been quite nice on this programme," she told BBC News online.

Meanwhile The Sun has reported that the BBC will repay voters who have phoned in for John, who will do a farewell dance for his fans on Saturday's show.