Dan Walker paid an emotional tribute to his wife Sarah after dancing to her favourite song on Strictly Come Dancing.

The BBC Breakfast host, 44, performed a Viennese waltz to She’s Always A Woman by Billy Joel and earned 28 points – his highest score of the series yet.

Lead judge Shirley Ballas said Walker was “extremely consistent, which is a good thing” but urged him to believe in himself more, while Craig Revel Horwood said he lacked “flow” but praised his overall style.

Walker, who has three children with his wife, used his post-performance interview to address her directly while she sat in the studio audience.

He said: “I’m going to gush over her for a moment because she’s one of those people that the more you know her, the more you love her, and I’ve known her and loved her for over half my life.”

The camera then panned to Sarah, with Walker adding: “There she is. She’s absolutely amazing. She is such a special person and I love her to bits.

“I hope she enjoyed that because we really loved that.”

Viewers online praised Walker for his comments, describing them as “sweet” and “adorable”.