Strictly's Kevin Clifton 'doesn't miss the pressure' of hit BBC show

When Kevin Clifton posted an Instagram image from inside the Strictly Come Dancing studio recently, social media was abuzz with speculation. Did this mean the former pro dancer was hinting at a show return? Did the uncaptioned snap taken from behind the judges' table suggest he was in line for Craig Revel Horwood or Anton Du Beke's job?

Unsurprisingly, fans quickly clamoured for his return, saying Strictly "isn't the same" without him. So is it true: might he be considering a comeback?

"Never say never," laughs the Grimsby-born choreographer, who danced on the hit BBC show for seven years and finally raised the Glitterball trophy in 2018 with his now real-life partner Stacey Dooley, 37, having reached the final four times.

So, in other words - no! Kevin breaks into laughter again.

But as we've seen this week, with fans left devastated by Johannes Radebe's announcement he is quitting Strictly for the West End - and hints that some current big names could be at risk of being axed in a huge shake-up - it feels like losing an arm or a leg when a member of the Strictly family leaves.

Many viewers would love to see the door kept open for handsome Kevin, who's currently touring the UK in a production of Chicago, playing slick, charismatic, and highly manipulative criminal defence lawyer Billy Flynn - the role played by Richard Gere in the 2002 Oscar-winning film - more of which shortly.

"Ah, that's so nice of you to say," he beams. "I still have so much love for Strictly. I'm grateful to have been part of something really special. Strictly changed my life.

"It made me a better dancer, a better performer, and, really, it shaped who I am today. I owe so much to it."

And that includes his daughter with Stacey, Minnie, who turns two in January.

Kevin joined Strictly in 2013, when the dazzling Saturday night routines pulled in 12 million viewers each week. They were also the years when professional dancer Kevin Clifton - or "Kevin from Grimsby" as the late, great Sir Bruce Forsyth affectionately dubbed him - reigned supreme on the Strictly dance floor.

And his record was incredible. The 42-year-old was a finalist five times during his seven-year tenure, finishing as a runner-up four times consecutively. He partnered Susanna Reid in 2013, Frankie Bridge in 2014, Kellie Bright in 2015 and Louise Redknapp in 2016.

Yet he has no regrets about leaving.

"It was right for me to leave when I did, I'd achieved everything I set out to," he said. "Do I miss it? I miss my friends on the show but certainly don't miss the pressure aspect.

"I did get nervous. I'm not the most confident person in the world, actually, so having to present something in front of millions of people each week, and then to be judged, could be nerve-wracking.

"You're also responsible for your partner, too - someone who may never have danced in public at all before. That is quite a responsibility.

"I knew there were other things I wanted to do and I didn't want to miss out on those opportunities."

Kevin is referring to the chance to sing and act since he ventured into musical theatre, performing in major roles in productions such as Rock of Ages, Strictly Ballroom, The Wedding Singer and Singin' in the Rain.

And now he's loving his leading role in the sexy, sultry megahit musical Chicago.

"I saw the film before I ever saw Chicago on stage," he says. "Later I saw it on Broadway and then in the West End.

"I always loved it. It's an absolute classic - one of the big, big musicals. I never imagined myself playing Billy Flynn when watching either the film or the show.

"He's a kind of matinée idol type and I didn't know if that was really me. But, yeah, here we are!"

Kevin's been dancing since he was a kid in Grimsby. His parents, Keith and Judy, were ballroom champions and ran a dance school - they still do. Both Kevin and his younger sister Joanne, the Strictly Come Dancing champion in 2016 with sports broadcaster Ore Oduba, were competing internationally by the time they were teenagers. However, Kevin always envisaged his future in musical theatre and considers himself an actor and singer in addition to being a top-notch hoofer.

"I actually did my first musical before I joined Strictly," he reveals.

"I was in the West End as part of the ensemble in Dirty Dancing. I've always been a massive fan of musicals.

"While dancing was very much my thing, I think I always sort of considered myself an actor who just happened to use dance.

"I was more interested in the performance and the story that we were telling, more than the technical aspects of, you know, 'Look at this stretch or look at this spin.'

"Dance took over my life for a very long time but I always continued with private acting lessons and singing lessons because I knew it was where I wanted to be. Ask me my profession and these days, I'll say 'actor'. It's what I put down on the form when I went to register Minnie's birth."

Kevin is very much the doting dad and staying at home with his child is the main reason why he's decided to leave the second half of the Chicago tour in March.

"I'm lucky in that many of the venues I'm performing in are commutable so I'll be around quite a bit. Stacey and I manage to do most of the childcare between us," he says. "Neither of us have nine-to-five jobs so we're able to work our schedules around each other. We juggle it. Our mums help out quite a bit, too." The couple recently made the move to Merseyside.

Earlier this year, Kevin revealed Stacey had chosen their new home in mere minutes after engaging in her favourite habit of viewing properties and interiors online. "She just happened to have seen something she liked and thought, 'Oh it's not too far away from my mum,'" he said. "We went and had a look and the second she walked in she was like 'I love it and I can really see us living here.'

"It all happened really quickly and we love it... our little girl is going to be raised as a Scouser."

With fatherhood now his number one priority, Kevin admits he's a bit of a softie when it comes to parenting. He laughs: "Minnie has me wrapped around her little finger. I basically will do whatever she wants. I'm not very strict with her. I probably should be a bit stricter, but I just love hanging out with her.

"She loves books and her favourite thing is going through her little collection. At the moment, she's obsessed with Peppa Pig.

"Everyone tells us she's very chatty for her age. We have nothing to compare it with but she is very talkative. I think that might be because we talk to her all the time and have done since she was born.

"When she was a tiny baby, someone told us that if you narrate absolutely everything you're doing when you're with them, they'll pick up on it - even if it's just stuff like 'I'm going to pick up this glass of water now and daddy's going to have a little drink.' So, we've been doing that and, yeah, we have proper conversations with her now."

Of course, Stacey is known to be a real talker herself as an established TV presenter, documentary maker and journalist. And it seems Minnie might be picking up her mum's mannerisms. "She can count up to 10 and copies things that we say," adds Kevin. "For instance, the other day Stacey asked her what she wanted for her tea and she replied, 'I don't know baby girl!' How cute is that?"

Almost as cute as her adoring dad.

Tickets for Chicago the Musical UK tour are on sale now via chicagothemusical.com/uk-tour