Strictly Come Dancing professional Karen Clifton FINALLY speaks about Will Young’s shock exit after awkward grilling from Piers Morgan
STRICTLY Come Dancing professional Karen Clifton has FINALLY spoken about her Will Young's shock departure from the competition.
Up until now Karen has kept mum about Will leaving Strictly last October, for "personal reasons," following an on-screen argument with judge Len Goodman.
But her words came during an awkward grilling from Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan, who described the singer as chucking her "under the bus."
Getting straight to the point Piers asked: "Did we ever find out what happened to old choker Will Young, who bottled it and ran away?"
Laughing nervously, Karen who was on the breakfast show with Strictly champion Ore Oduba to promote the forthcoming tour, said: "No. I had to put a tough face on for that one.
"It was a tough time for me - I'm not going to lie."
And not one to shy away from his thoughts, Piers added: "Talk about chucking you under the bus - it's ridiculous behaviour."
Attempting to defend her former dancing partner, Karen commented: "Well, you know he had his reasons..."
"Did you ever find out what that reason was?" asked the straight-talking former newspaper editor.
"Well, I'm not 100% sure - it came out of nowhere," replied Karen.
Stepping in, Ore added: "It was a surprise for all of us - we all huddled together."
Singer Will quit Strictly in October
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He said in a statement: “To be a part of Strictly has been a long time ambition of mine. As a performer, a viewer, and a fan of the show, to dance as a contestant was an experience I always hoped for.
“I have made some great friends, and am in awe of their performances week in, week out. I have found a creative partnership with Karen that has been the most wonderful thing to experience.
“I will be eternally grateful to her for her direction, talent and guiding me through three wonderful dances that I will be able to show my grandkids in years to come.
“Unfortunately, I am leaving the show for personal reasons. I leave with joy in my heart that I have been able to take part in one of the most loved shows on British television.
“I am so grateful to everyone who works on Strictly from the lighting designer to catering to the production team. Strictly truly is the most unique family and I thank them from the bottom of my heart.
“And finally thank you to the BBC for supporting me throughout my journey. I wish my compatriots so much luck, and although I am back to being a viewer again, I’m certainly going to ‘keeeep dancing’!”
It came after he clashed with head judge Len Goodman on Saturday night after he complained there wasn’t enough salsa in his Bollywood routine.
Will replied that there were 24 counts of eight in the dance, but it caused Len to tell him to “show up, keep up and shut up”.
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