Rylan Clark shares reason he quit Strictly’s It Takes Two which left agents ‘worried’

Rylan Clark has revealed the real reason behind quitting Strictly Come Dancing spin-off show It Takes Two. Rylan hosted the BBC show for four years but admitted it was a “really good decision” for him, even though it left his agents “worried”.

The 34-year-old announced he was stepping down earlier this year in April in an emotional post on social media. He wrote: “Been a pleasure @bbcstrictly. After four fantastic years it’s time for me to hang up my glittery jacket and say goodbye to It Takes Two.

“I’ve had the best time hosting alongside Janette and Zoe and I can’t thank the amazing team enough for always putting on a great show.”

The statement continued: “I’ve been welcomed into the Strictly family and will firmly hold that title dear to me. The time has come for me to pass on the baton to someone else and explore what else life has for me. Thank you Strictly, you will always have my heart…and my dancing feet.”

The show was first hosted by Claudia Winkleman before Zoe Ball took over the reigns in 2011, where she was joined by Rylan in 2019 as a co-host. In 2021 Zoe announced she was stepping down as Janette Manrara was confirmed as her replacement.

Rylan recently took a break from the radio airwaves to look after his 71-year-old mum Linda.(Image: Instagram)

Former X Factor star Fleur East will co-host with Janette after Rylan’s departure when Strictly returns later this month.

Rylan, who still presents a show on BBC Radio 2, told The Sun: “I’ve been doing the same type of job for 10 years. For me, I just got to the point, ‘What do I want? What would I like to be? Who do I want to be? What show do I want to do in the future?’

“And it’s really hard to try to work that out while you’re doing different things. So I had to take that step back, have a minute to myself, let it breathe, and not turn on the TV and see yourself while you’re watching what everyone else is doing.”

Although Rylan says it was a “really good decision” for him, he added not everyone was pleased. He explained: “When you tell your agents you’re quitting the biggest show on TV, you can imagine they s*** themselves!”

It comes after the television personality took a break from his radio show to look after his 71-year-old mum Linda after she suffered a bad fall which resulted in broken bones whilst the pair were abroad together.

Rylan chartered a private jet to get his mum Linda back to the UK following the incident as he shared a photograph of a sleek private aircraft sitting on an airport runway on his social media. He penned: “She might have broke an arm and a leg but she’s cost me an arm and a leg! LINDAS COMING HOME!!”

Rylan also thanked the medical staff who looked after his mum adding: “Massive thank you to the amazing team and surgeons at @helicopterossanitarios. Thanks for looking after my mum x”

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