Will Young has revealed the real reason why he quit Strictly Come Dancing back in 2016.
Speaking about his shock exit from the show for the first time, the Pop Idol star admitted he had no choice to leave due to his sever agoraphobia, but felt ‘pressured’ to do the show from his team.
At the time Will cited ‘personal reasons’ and ‘anxiety’ as the reason for his and his partner Karen Clifton’s departure from the show after week three.
However speaking to Rylan Clark on his BBC podcast How To Be In The Spotlight, Will revealed: ‘I tried to pull out of it, but I was sort of pressured to do it.’
‘It was sort of like “Well, if you pull out, the BBC will never work with you again”.’
Will Young has revealed the REAL reason for his shock exit from Strictly Come Dancing back in 2016 as the new lineup is announced
Speaking about his shock exit from the show for the first time, the Pop Idol star admitted he had no choice to leave due to his sever agoraphobia, but felt ‘pressured’ to do the show from his team
‘That was one of the things that was said to me, so I did it, but I knew I wasn’t well enough.’
have contacted BBC representatives for comment.
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Strictly Come Dancing reveals its 2024 lineup as blind comedian Chris McCausland is confirmed
He continued: ‘You know, when you’re getting flashbacks and all those kind of things, for me, it was agoraphobia.’
‘So agoraphobia was really bad for me. So literally throughout that stage, I didn’t even know where I was. ‘I’m on that show. If you ever watch it back, I was not even in the room.’
‘I had people messaging me going, this isn’t good, you’re not well. But I tried to get out. I was just so agoraphobic. I could barely get to the studio to rehearse.’
Will left the show after his Bollywood-themed Salsa to Jai Ho, as he explained: ‘Even though the Bollywood dance was good. Sometimes I still watch that back. because I’m really proud of it.’
‘I thought “No, no, this isn’t going to work, I’m not doing this anymore”. Literally after that night.’
‘Also, people put pressure on for money… I didn’t necessarily have the most supportive people behind me at that stage.’
Appearing on Rylan Clark’s podcast How To Be In The Spotlight, Will revealed: ‘It was sort of like “Well, if you pull out, the BBC will never work with you again”‘
On Monday Strictly confirmed its first celeb for the 2024 series as blind comedian Chris McCausland
JB Gill was revealed as the second celebrity confirmed for the 2024 series, revealing the news live on This Morning on Monday
On Monday Strictly confirmed their first two celebrities for this year’s 20th anniversary lineup.
Blind comedian Chris McCausland and JLS star JB Gill were announced to be joining the show after weeks of speculation.
CBeebies actor Chris, 46, lost his sight aged 22 due to a hereditary condition, Retinitis Pigmentosa.
The comedian said of his next venture: ‘If anybody out there is thinking – How the hell is he going to do that? – then rest assured that I am thinking exactly the same thing.
‘I don’t dance, I haven’t danced, I can’t dance, I can’t see the dancing I will have to do. What can possibly go wrong? Ok don’t answer that…!’
Meanwhile JB follows in the footsteps of his bandmate Aston Merrygold who was eliminated in 10th place during the 2017 series.
Elsewhere Will also opened up about his relationship with his late twin brother as he revealed her confronted him about fame turning him into a ‘machine’.
Will’s twin Rupert took his own life in 2020 after years of battling alcoholism, however before he died he told the singer he didn’t understand why he had turned so ‘steely’ and ‘cold’.
Will said: ‘I maybe became a bit too steely and I remember my late brother saying to me, ‘You’ve become a bit cold’ because I think I was so shut off to it.
‘I remember it was so sad. I could well up about it because he was crying. He was like, ‘I don’t understand what has happened’.
‘I think I was so focused in my head. I was like, ‘You’ve got to get through these five years to have a career’.
‘So, all the c***, all that stuff, I think that made me a little bit machine-like. I wanted to be a famous singer from the age of four [and then] my first gig was at Wembley.’
Will also opened up about his relationship with his late twin brother as he revealed her confronted him about fame turning him into a ‘machine’
Will said: ‘I maybe became a bit too steely and I remember my late brother saying to me, ‘You’ve become a bit cold’ because I think I was so shut off to it’ (pictured in 2009)
Will previously spoke about his devastation at Rupert’s death and the family’s pain while dealing with his alcoholism.
He told BBC Breakfast: ‘I miss my brother, he was my twin and my best friend, but I don’t miss the alcoholic.
‘I don’t think alcoholism is spoken about enough and it is important to speak out about what it is like to live with someone who has alcoholism in the family, and what that can do to a family.
‘It was difficult, but it is amazing what we do out of love for people. I just didn’t want my brother to die. In the end I didn’t manage to keep him alive, and that is part of my grief process.’