Jeremy Vine message to internet trolls who have told him to leave Strictly goes viral

Strictly Come Dancing star and BBC presenter Jeremy Vine has hit back at fans telling him to quit the competition, vowing to give it his all until he’s voted out.

The Radio 2 broadcaster, who is keeping a diary of his Strictly journey on his official website http://jeremyvine.tv has posted a message from a Strictly viewer calling him a ‘bovine’ and suggesting he ‘MOVE ON’.

In response, Vine posted a video in which he talks directly to ‘Martin’, the person in question.

“I’ve got two responses to that which I wanted to say because I think it’s quite important, and one of them is that I promise that I am taking this seriously and not doing it for comedic purposes,” he said.

“I can think of some competitors in the past who have just done it for a laugh and I know, I’m well aware, that during my dances there has been laughter but it’s not been something that I have sought. I’ve really wanted to dance well, so I’m trying to get some technique.

“I always say that Karen [Clifton] started dancing when she was eight and I started dancing on August 8, so it’s not easy, but I’m trying.”

Vine then added another point to the video, which he filmed outside a café on a busy road, which he described as “crucial” – that he has two young daughters.

Jeremy Vine has been accused of playing the fool on Strictly Come Dancing, which he disputes in his online vlog

 

“They’re 11 and 8 and I said to them when I started this, ‘I promise I will really, really work at getting better. I’m not just going to muck around, here. I’m going to really be serious about it and try and learn to dance’,” he said.

“Now you might argue that hasn’t gone very well. I think I have improved since the start. But regardless of that, the message that I don’t want them to take away is that, ‘Once our dad thought he couldn’t win, he just gave up’.

“So I’m feeling like what I want them to see is that until the very last moment in the contest, until I’m voted out, I will always work at getting better.

“I’ll always try. I’ll always be back in the gym. I’m about to go and see Karen now. Sometimes, eight, nine hours a day. I’ll always, always work. And the fact that I’m not the best is not a reason to give up and that’s true of so much of life. Just because you can’t win doesn’t mean you stop working.”

Vine concluded: “So to Martin and just a couple of others, and I’m saying this very politely – I appreciate the messages – but please understand I have to compete and work and work because I don’t want my daughters to see their father say, ‘That’s it, why did I ever enter it?’ So have a great day.”

And with that, Vine smiles broadly into the camera before the clip ends.

The video has since gone viral, with thousands of comments and shares, in support of Vine, referring to him as a true gent and applauding his eloquence.