[Red Moon]

Was Mrs Sergeant behind John's Strictly exit?

A firm dislike of the limelight by John Sergeant's wife may have played a part in his decision to quit Strictly Come Dancing.

While the former political journalist relishes his increased celebrity, it is not something shared by Mary Sergeant.

She has steadfastly avoided attending any of the TV shows and her disdain of the 'fame game' is understood to have influenced Sergeant's decision to quit the Saturday night show.

Announcing his sudden departure,Sergeant said he had left the programme to avoid a 'bloody battle', saying the real possibility that he could win the competition would 'be a joke too far'.

But his wife of almost 40 years - who he described as 'the rock of my life' in his autobiography - is believed to have found the growing media interest around them unwelcome. The former teacher and mother of their two grown up sons was also not warming to the probability of further exposure that winning the contest would have brought.

One source said: 'The decision for John to quit had been a long time in the making. Mary had started to find the media interest around them rather grating.

'It was against that background that he quit. John is fiercely protective of his marriage.

'His media persona is at odds with his private life. Ironically, he has been so protective over the privacy of his marriage that gossip on the set of the BBC show has been that because he never talked of his wife and never had her visit him on set, that they must have separated.

'Its been people putting two and two together making ten. It's that kind of scrutiny that John and Mary have found uncomfortable.'

Sergeant is happily counting the cost of failure on the dance floor. The 64-year- old people's favourite, if not the judges' choice, is set to cash in on his exit from the programme.

His new-found notoriety could help triple his appearance fees and pocket hundreds of thousands of pounds for speaking engagements.

Before Sergeant's dance performances he was able to command up to £10,000 for public appearances.

He has already been booked for a Caribbean cruise, in which he will give talks and show off his nifty dance moves for a reported £10,000.

Source: Daily Mail