Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Aljaž Škorjanec has opened up about his decision to leave the BBC show, and it might come as a surprise to some fans.
Aljaž Škorjanec stepped down from Strictly in 2022 after nine years on the competition series. Most recently, he was partnered with Dragons' Den star Sara Davies in Strictly Come Dancing 2021 and they were eliminated in week 8.
But after almost a decade of dancing, Aljaž announced his departure from the series and has recently explained a little more about why he decided it was time to leave.
In an interview with Hello Magazine, he explained that he decided to leave Strictly Come Dancing when he unknowingly wanted to repeat his own choreography that he'd already done before.
In the interview, Aljaž revealed: "It took longer to create numbers, it took longer to come up with songs that hadn't been used, that I hadn't used."
"There was even an instance when I got this great idea; I was in the car… I sent the track to [the] producer saying 'Oh my goodness this would be an amazing Argentine Tango, could you please find out for me who has done it, when has it been done…'"
He added: "They call me back in literally two minutes and said, 'Are you serious? It was you that did it three years ago…' When those sorts of moments started happening, I was like, you know what, it's time. And I never ever felt like I left anything on the dance floor."
Because of this, he decided to call it a day and released a statement that said: “A little while ago I made the tough decision that Strictly 2021 would be my last. The show has given me the opportunity and freedom to create and express myself in front of millions of people every weekend for the last nine years.
"The love and support I got from the team of producers was second to none … I am forever grateful to them!"
However, Aljaž is still connected to Strictly as he is married to It Takes Two presenter Janette Manrara, who is currently pregnant with the couple's first child together. She hosted alongside Rylan, who recently left the show.
A new presenter for Strictly: It Takes Two has not yet been confirmed.
