Paul Merson's 'time is up' as he's dealt massive blow ahead of Strictly Come Dancing

's time on Strictly Come Dancing "is up", as the star is in danger of being eliminated from Strictly this weekend.

According to Ladbrokes, the former footballer is the clear favourite to leave the dance competition, but the pressure is also on for Punam Krishan and .

Former England and Arsenal star Merson is at 11/10 to get the axe, while TV GP Punam is at 5/2 and opera singer Wynne at 5/1.

Nicola McGeady of Ladbrokes said: "There are three celebrities under pressure on Strictly this week, but as far as punters are concerned, Paul Merson’s time is up."

It comes as Paul, 56, admitted his time on the show could be drawing to an end, vowing to do everything he can to stat in the competition. He said that he'll need to fight for his place on the BBC dance show more than ever, revealing he's already shed two stone in weight thanks to intense training sessions with partner Karen Hauer.

Speaking to The Sun newspaper's TV Biz column, Paul said: "I’m 100 per cent in a ­relegation battle because the ­standards on this year’s show are through the roof. Some of the other dancers are just amazing. And now Toyah Willcox has gone, it will be hard for me and I am up against it. But I don’t look that far ahead. I live in the moment. I’m used to just putting my boots on and getting the job done. I won’t be big-headed but that was my job — I was good at football."

Despite not having much of a dance background, Paul said that he was pleasantly surprised with his performances on the dance floor so far. The sports star, who has been married three times, said: "That ­surprised me immensely. Honestly, I wasn’t exaggerating when I said I’d danced three times — once at each of my three weddings. I’ve improved a hundredfold. But that’s the whole idea of the show — people come on who have got two left feet and they try to get better and better."

During an appearance on Strictly spin-off show It Takes Two, Paul was asked by host Janette Manrara what it meant to him when he got his highest score yet. Paul said: "It was amazing just to get a nice dance. Obviously a barbecue and Vindaloo and Football's Coming Home and looking like someone who works on a ship... yeah, it was nice to dance. I thought Karen deserved that as well, to be fair to her."

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