Strictly Come Dancing star Ross King has announced he’s leaving the UK following his exit from the BBC One show.
The Scottish presenter shared the news after his friend and Lorraine co-host, Lorraine Kelly, criticised the show for featuring “too many trained dancers.”
Strictly viewers watched as showbiz reporter Ross King, 63, became the second celebrity to be eliminated from the 2025 series after performing his Thunderbird-inspired Paso Doble during Movie Week.
He faced EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal in the dance-off, after she placed fourth from the bottom on Saturday night with 26 points for her Foxtrot.
Both pairs performed again, but judges Craig, Motsi, and Anton all opted to save Balvinder.
Head Judge Shirley Ballas, who held the deciding vote this week, confirmed that she too would have chosen to save Balvinder and her partner Julian if needed.
ChatGPT said:
Just hours after his elimination, Ross appeared on Monday’s episode of Lorraine and revealed that he wouldn’t be watching the rest of Strictly from the UK.
When Lorraine remarked, “So now you’ll be like us, just watching,” Ross replied, “I’ll be watching by the pool in La La Land — I’ll be back there.”
He later added, “I’ll be off now,” but assured viewers he’d return later in the year.
Although Ross is heading back to his Hollywood home with his girlfriend, Bridget Siegel, 43, following his Strictly exit, he confirmed he’ll be back in the UK before long.
Ross will return to the UK in December to star in a Cinderella pantomime in Southend, performing alongside Rylan Clark, 36.
During the same interview, his fellow Scot Lorraine Kelly didn’t hold back in criticising some of the 2025 Strictly lineup.
Standing by her friend, Lorraine called out contestants such as Amber Davies, who already have professional dance and stage experience.
She said: “Can I just say, from my point of view, I think there are too many trained dancers in it for me.”
Lorraine continued by explaining why she prefers seeing contestants like Ross on Strictly.
“The reason I enjoy the show is to watch people like you [Ross] getting better and better,” she said. “To me, that’s what the show is about. I think there are too many experienced people. And I’m like, ‘OK, that’s great,’ but I’m not invested or thinking, ‘go for it.’ With you, I’m like, ‘Yesss, Rossy!’”
SAD EXIT
During Sunday night’s results show, a visibly emotional Ross reflected on his Strictly journey when asked by Tess Daly about his experience.
“I have loved every single minute of it,” he said tearfully. “I want to thank everyone who supported us, everyone who voted – they’ve been amazing. I want to thank everyone here – the judges, the crew, everyone backstage – they’ve all made me feel so welcome.
“And I want to thank a very special lady who’s been with me through it all. She’s been my mentor, teacher, and carer. I couldn’t have wished for a better partner or to be on a better show. Thank you, judges, for all your comments.”
Tess then turned to Ross’s professional partner, Jowita, saying, “Jowita, you called Ross ‘Your King.’”
Jowita smiled and replied, “And I still stand by it! Thank you for all your hard work and everything you did in rehearsals. We laughed a lot – and we cried too! Thank you so much, and I hope I’ll always be a little part of your life.”
After the results show aired, Ross took to Instagram to post a series of behind-the-scenes photos from Saturday night alongside his Strictly castmates.
He captioned the images:
“There aren’t enough words to express my gratitude for this amazing opportunity.
Thank you to everyone who has been on this journey with me – the Strictly cast and crew, friends, family, my wonderful dance partner Jowita, and most importantly, the fans.
You kept me inspired with your kind words and kept me in the competition with your votes.
I hope, like me, you’ve been inspired to try something new – and as always, keep dancing!”