Kevin Clifton has opened up to his fans via an Instagram video and revealed the real reason he left BBC's Strictly Come Dancing last year after seven years on the show.
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Whilst answering fans' questions and talking about Saturday's incredible show, the 38-year-old star, who is happily dating Stacey Dooley, was asked if he would ever return to the dance show, prompting him to reveal all about his shocking exit.
WATCH: Kevin talks leaving Strictly and why he made the tough decision
"Would you go back Kev?" one fan asked him, to which he replied: "Yes, someone has been asking me this. I never say never to Strictly, I felt like I left at the right time. I've done seven years on the show and there are a lot of things that I do, I don't just do ballroom dancing."
He continued: "I've been doing a lot of theatre and stuff, and I like singing and acting and all these other things and so it was an ongoing conversation with Strictly that I would want to explore some other things."
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Warning his fans about what they read in the papers, he added: "Promise me whenever you listen to the silly tabloids, when they say 'Oh Kevin thought he was bigger than the show, he wanted bigger opportunities,' that's all nonsense, like none of that happened.
© Photo: InstagramKevin also told fans that he is still dating Stacey and they are very happy
"I'd been having a constant dialogue with Strictly for about a year saying, 'I'm thinking when's the right time for me to take a step aside and just concentrate on some of the other things that I want to do because I didn't want to leave it to late,' so that was why."
As for when he would return to the hit dance show, he added: "I've got such a wonderful relationship with Strictly, I'm in contact with them a fair amount and never say never but saying that, next year I'll be on tour, touring the UK with Strictly Ballroom The Musical, so please come and see us in that, so that would rule me out of next year which means if I were to come back to Strictly it would be 2022 and in 2022, October 2022, I'll be turning 40 years old so I don't think that's the best thing for me to do at 40 years old, to return Strictly. So, you know… who knows! But never say never, I never rule anything out."
