He was a fan favourite on Strictly Come Dancing who kept us all on our toes with his fancy footwork through the years. And now former BBC star Kevin Clifton has announced he's having a "career break" from "all work" as he focuses on fatherhood for a bit.
Kevin welcomed his first daughter Minnie earlier this year with other half Stacey Dooley - whom he met after lifting the glitter ball trophy with her back in 2018. The pair have been doting on the tot and now Kev has explained to his loyal army of fans that he wants to spend a bit of time with her while he can.
Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy, he said “I left Strictly Come Dancing and then Covid happened.
"Then since we came out of Covid I’ve sort of gone back-to-back with different shows non-stop. It went Singin’ in the Rain, Rock of Ages, The War of the Worlds, Burn the Floor. Then I did The Games on ITV, Who Do You Think You Are? and then back to Singin’ in the Rain on tour. Then I started rehearsals for Strictly Ballroom the day after I finished Singin’ in the Rain.
“By the time I finish in mid-July it will have been a 10-month tour of Strictly Ballroom. So since we came out of Covid it’s just been back-to-back non-stop. So for the rest of this year I’ve decided I’m going to take a break from all performing work and just to be a dad. I just don’t want to miss any of Minnie. So yeah, my plan is to take a break as soon as this contract finishes.
Earlier this month we reported Kevin candidly opened up about suffering from a hidden battle as he admitted the past few years haven't always been easy.
Kevin, 40, said he was "celebrating the most wonderful past five years," as he took to his social media in an adorable post of how his life has turned around in recent times.
In a candid Instagram post, Kevin, who left Strictly in 2020, wrote: "Don’t like to talk about it too much in public but a few years ago I wasn’t always doing as well as I always tried to make out.
"Today I’m celebrating the most wonderful past five years."
Kevin shared a series of photos on his post, with the first showing a selfie of him with longer hair and looking not as sharp as usual, followed by a piece of paper which read: "Just remember five years ago, you dreamed about where are you now."
He then shared a photo of himself and Stacey staring adoringly at their daughter as Kevin held the tot in his arms. Other photos showed Kevin strutting his stuff on stage with Stacey and lifting the glitterball trophy.
Journalist Stacey, 36, commented on the honest post: "My angel. We love you endlessly."
The dancer replied: "Love you and Mins."
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