Strictly Come Dancing star Craig Revel Horwood has squashed rumours that he’s planning on retiring.
This year, Craig celebrated his 60th birthday and some fans were worried that would mean we’d be saying goodbye to him on Strictly. Then, in a shock statement, Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman stepped down from their hosting duties.
Since then, the future of Strictly has been heavily speculated on. But fans shouldn’t worry too much, as Craig has a promising outlook on the show.
Is Craig Revel Horwood retiring?
While he may have previously said he wanted to be retired by 50, and was considering hanging up his dancing shoes when he hit 60, Craig has confirmed that is no longer the case.
Speaking to The Mirror, Craig admitted: “When I was 25, I took out my pension and began paying in £136 a month. I have been paying that ever since.
“I once said I would like to retire at 50 and to be able to afford a bottle of champagne every day. But that didn’t work out. Then I thought, well maybe I will retire at 60.”
However, that also didn’t work out as Craig has “just bought a new house and gutted it” so is having to buy everything.
So, while he may have thought he would be retired by now, Craig confirmed he doesn’t think “retirement is on the cards just yet”.
Strictly Come Dancing’s future revealed
As for the future of Strictly, it seems Craig is quite positive about it. He is the longest-serving judge, having been on the show since it began in 2004.
For him, he believes that Strictly is a place that “celebrates” everyone – including those who are older. And when he sees trolls bringing it down, he finds it “upsetting”.
Gushing about the show, Craig praised three stars who have broken barriers by being on the show. These include Rose Ayling-Ellis who “couldn’t hear the music”, 2024 winner Chris McCausland, who Craig admits “woke” him up.
He also praised Ellie Goldstein – who was eliminated from the show last week – after she became the first contestant with Down Syndrome to take part in a full series.
But amid the worries that Strictly may be on the way out, Craig assured everyone that is not the case at all.
He said: “It’s become such an institution. For a lot of people it is something they look forward to. We try to raise everyone’s spirits. That’s what it is all about. Strictly isn’t going anywhere!”
Read more: Complaints pour in over treatment of Strictly’s longest-serving judge Craig Revel Horwood
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