Kevin Clifton has broken his social media silence following the announcement that his celebrity dance partner, Stacey Dooley, will partner up with Aljaz Skorjanec on the Strictly Come Dancing nationwide tour in the New Year. Once the news broke online, the professional dancer took to Twitter to retweet the confirmation as well as Stacey's statement, which read: "I will miss Kev, but I am looking forward to putting Aljaz through his paces."
© Photo: BBCStacey Dooley won't be dancing with Kevin Clifton on the Strictly tour
Speaking about her Strictly journey, she added: "I'm loving this experience so much. I know people always say that, but it's so true. To be able to go on tour and perform for the fans all over the UK is such an honour. I'm so excited!" Kevin, 36, won't be taking part in the tour this year due to other work commitments. He is set to take on the role of Stacee Jaxx on the Rock of Ages tour from January until April.
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Fans immediately shared their sadness over the news, with one saying: "Shame [Stacey's] tour partner won't be Kevin, but Aljaz is good and I guess it will be good for her to experience a different partner." Another wrote: "I knew @keviclifton wasn't going to be able to make the tour, and I love @AljazSkorjanec , but surely @Mr_NJones would be the perfect partner for @StaceyDooley." A third post read: "It will feel very odd not to see [Kevin] on the Strictly tour." Another remarked: "At that time I'll be watching Kevin in Rock of Ages in Grimsby, then starring in Burn the Floor in June. Still adore the Strictly tour though!"
It was also confirmed that This Morning’s Dr Ranj Singh and Janette Manrara, and YouTube sensation Joe Sugg and Dianne Buswell will also appear on next year's Strictly arena tour. The stars will join tour host, Ore Oduba, and the Live Tour judging panel of awesome foursome Craig Revel Horwood, Dame Darcey Bussell, Shirley Ballas and Bruno Tonioli, as they travel around the country for 29 glittering shows from 18 January 2019. Further names will be announced soon.
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