Tony Adams has broken his silence following the news he had decided to leave Strictly Come Dancing.
The former footballer, 56, announced his decision to walk away from the BBC One programme on Sunday, after sustaining an injury during Saturday's live show.
Former Arsenal captain Tony had appeared to be a hit with fans after delighting them with his hilarious routines, with his professional partner Katya Jones.
However, after discovering he and Katya were in the dance-off with Dianne Buswell and Tyler West, he made the decision to withdraw from the competition due to his knee injury which he sustained on Thursday.
After being forced to cancel rehearsals on Friday, Tony explained he was left with a major decision before his performance on Saturday.
Speaking about his exit on Strictly: It Takes Two, Tony told host Rylan Clark: "They gave me the choice, they were very professional the BBC.
"The physio was first class, they said 'It's your decision Tony, do you want to go for it?' my wife said 'My mum's coming, you've got to dance', I looked into her eyes and she went 'Hmm... Come on!'"
He added: "It's been amazing, this has been great, coming on here every week and chatting to you guys, I've loved this more than the dancing.
"It's been incredible, I came onto the show with one message to get the message of mental health out there."
Fans went on to praise Tony on social media, with one writing: "Three (non-alcoholic) cheers to Tony, making addiction recovery and mental health a central part of his Strictly story #ItTakesTwo."
"Fair f**ks to Tony, he's done a power of good for raising awareness of mental health issues! #ItTakesTwo."
"I know it was right for him to go, but I would've loved to have seen Tony having the time of his life at Blackpool #ittakestwo," tweeted a third.
Earlier today (Monday), Tony's wife spoke about his decision to withdraw and slammed it was down to any backstage drama following claims of a feud between him and Katya.
Poppy told the MailOnline: "Taking part has taken its toll and it was time to drop out, he has gone much further on the show than he had hoped and it was time to leave.
"They (Tony and Katya) are both punchy people and give as good as they get. He adored her and there was never a row as people have said - he has left because his body can’t take any more."
Poppy went on to explain that although some claimed Tony taking part in the show was a joke, he took his rehearsals and participation very seriously.
