Russell Grant has revealed that he turned down the offer of his own show in the United States for the sake of Strictly Come Dancing.
The popular TV astrologer eschewed what could have been a very lucrative contract to present his own astrology programme, for the chance to compete in the popular BBC dance-off.
He says: "Strictly Come Dancing has returned me to my showbiz roots, which run in the family. And my uncle, who earned an Oscar for his work on The Deer Hunter, died a year ago in LA, so I'm very sentimental about it."
Grant, who is paired with professional Flavia Cacace for the show, admits his partner is a perfectionist who has occasionally left him exhausted.
He says: "I'm like her stage mother, and she's my stage daughter. I'm Mama Rose and she's Gypsy. She absolutely insists on putting a lot of context in which, of course, at 60 years old, is sometimes exhausting and tiring."
He adds: "I'e just lost 10 stone in weight, and I'm not the fittest person, but it seems like I'm getting fitter by the day."