Comedian Robert Webb has said he “politely declined” the offer to dance one last time in the Strictly Come Dancing final, after being forced to quit the series due to ill health.
The Peep Show star, who was partnered with Dianne Buswell, had open heart surgery two years ago and was advised by a doctor to withdraw from the series after developing symptoms while training.
His departure in October meant only three couples will compete in the grand final this weekend.
Webb, 49, has now confirmed he will not be returning for a group dance during the grand finale, but had seen Buswell and her boyfriend Joe Sugg recently to catch up.
Writing on Instagram, he said: “Hullo! I seem to have switched from public to private mode and one of the effects of this is people will inevitably find their own ways to interpret my ‘silence’. It isn’t really silence, of course. It’s just doing other stuff.
“But I thought I ought to pipe up because I won’t be in the group dance of the strictly final this Sat and I didn’t want my absence (or my ‘silence’ about it) to be taken as evidence of any kind of bad feeling towards the show.
“My love for Strictly is a season that is forever summer. However, the producers understood that when I had to stop, I had to stop completely. Dianne & Joe came over for lunch a few weeks ago and m’partner gets it.
“If I gave out a few more details about what the show had been doing to me physically & mentally, you wouldn’t be surprised that the offer of one more dance was politely declined.”
Webb also apologised for disrupting the format with his departure, meaning only three celebrities are in the final – Bake Off star John Whaite, EastEnders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis and TV presenter AJ Odudu.
He added: “More generally, I’m sorry that my departure buggered up the format so there are only 3 couples in the final (a lot of angry Rhys fans out there – guys, you do know that if I’d tried to do week 4 but had then dropped dead during the show, it would *still* be a three-couple final, yeah?)
“So anyway, the headlines are: sorry about everything, I’m not doing the thing, I’m fine now btw, and do enjoy the final which will obviously be brilliant because they’re all brilliant. See ya!”
During his time on the show, Webb completed a tango, a cha cha and a quickstep.
The final three celebrities will take to the dancefloor in the Strictly Come Dancing Final 2021 on December 18 at 7pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.