James Cracknell rubbishes 'rant' claims following 'Strictly Come Dancing' elimination

James Cracknell, 47, has repudiated claims that he had to be "calmed down" backstage on the BBC contest after he was eliminated from the competition first following a dance off against former footballer David James.

Cracknell and his professional partner Luba Mushtuk were voted off after judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Bruno Tonioli decided to save ex-footballing star James instead of him.

Following on from the Strictly Come Dancing results show, which aired on Sunday, an insider reportedly told The Sun the champion rower was "livid" backstage after failing to be saved and had to be "calmed down" by producers of the popular programme.

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Cracknell denied the reports as he shared to his Twitter: "I don't reply to people's comments but I'm not gonna let this one go. @LubaMushtuk & I had fun & our best dance but it wasn't enough.

"I know I'm no John Travolta so to throw my toys out the pram would be stupid."

Following his exit, the father-of-three has also thanked Mushtuk via Instagram for her efforts whilst detailing that she's "not a miracle worker".

Posting a photo of the pair as they performed their Jive on Saturday night, Cracknell wrote: "Not the most appropriate screen grab but perfectly sums up my time on @bbcstrictly. I want to thank you @LubaMushtuk for being the most amazing partner/teacher/choreographer sadly you’re not a miracle worker.

"I’m no dancer (& knew it), I’ve always avoided things I know I’d be bad at, but I wanted that to stop. I had fun & learned a lot about myself thanks Luba @bbcstrictly & the class of 2019, keep kicking ass gang!"

Meanwhile, the Strictly contestant who emerged as the high-scoring celebrity over the first two weeks is Karim Zeroual.

The CBBC presenter earned a grand total of 63 points out of a possible 80 over the two weeks, placing him at the top of the leaderboard.