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Strictly Come Dancing star Kevin Clifton admits he regrets leaving show

The former professional dancer quit the BBC series back in March

Kevin Clifton has admitted he regrets quitting Strictly Come Dancing after his theatre work was put on hold due to coronavirus.

The former pro, who left the BBC show in March, quit to pursue a career on stage after seven years on the series.

Since then, his lead role in the West End musical Strictly Ballroom has been postponed until 2021.

Kevin Clifton says he regrets quitting Strictly Come Dancing (Credit: SplashNews.com)

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Speaking on his podcast, Kevin, 38, said: “Who knows if I’ll go back to Strictly, never say never.

“I think if I’ve learned anything it’s you never close the door.

Who knows if I’ll go back to Strictly, never say never

“You just don’t know how things are going to go.

“I thought I was going to be on stage all year and all of a sudden that’s not happening any more.”

The professional dancer quit Strictly in March (Credit: SplashNews.com)

Why did Kevin Clifton quit Strictly Come Dancing?

Kevin, who won the Glitterball trophy back in 2018 with now-girlfriend Stacey Dooley, previously revealed he couldn’t see himself doing the show “into his forties”.

The star also felt it was time to pursue other interests.

He told The Sun: “Me leaving gives younger dancers the chance to come through now. Nobody is bigger than the show.

“At age 23 it would be different. I’d look at it and think, ‘I can stay on this for the next ten or 15 years,’ but at 37 years old I was thinking, ‘I’m going to turn 38.'”

stacey dooley kevin clifton
Kevin won the show alongside Stacey Dooley in 2018 (Credit: SplashNews.com)

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It’s believed Kevin planned to quit the series in 2018 after his win with Stacey, but was persuaded to stay by show bosses.

At the time, the dancer also laughed off claims the documentary maker influenced his decision to quit.

Speaking on This Morning, Kevin said: “It’s always the woman’s fault, like I’m incapable of making a decision.

“I did talk about it with her and she always said to me, ‘This has to be your decision. You can’t have anyone tell you what to do here. This is a big decision’.”

Exclusive: Kevin Clifton on Why He Quit Strictly Come Dancing | This Morning

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Nancy Brown
Associate Editor