Darcey Bussell would like to return to "guest judge" Strictly Come Dancing
Darcey quit as a judge in 2019 after seven series on the panel.
Former Strictly Come Dancing judge Darcey Bussell has revealed she would love to return to the show in a guest judge capacity.
Appearing on this weekend's episode of The Jonathan Ross Show, the former ballerina described her time on the show as "fabulous" but said that she did not have plans to permanently return to the judging panel.
"It was a big thing for a ballet dancer," she said. "It was fabulous – I had seven years. I miss that; it’s like being part of a company again."
When asked if she would consider a return, she said that, while she would rule out joining again full time, "it would be lovely to be a guest judge or something”.
Darcey added, “I’ve had lots of other jobs and I’ve really enjoyed all of the different things I do. It was a great commitment, the nice thing was it really celebrated dance in a great way. It was great for the ballet world to have a judge as a ballerina.”
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Darcey made her Strictly debut as a fifth judge during the final stages of the 2009 competition, and was a permanent fixture on the panel from 2012 until 2018.
She stood down from the role in April 2019, releasing a statement that described her time on the show as "a complete privilege".
The statement continued, "I have enjoyed every minute of my time and will miss everyone from my fellow judges, the presenters, the dancers, the musicians, the entire backstage team, and especially the viewers of the show, who have been so supportive."
Darcey was replaced on the panel by Motsi Mabuse, who also serves as a judge on the German version of the series and whose sister Oti Mabuse is one of the Strictly Come Dancing professionals.
Earlier this week, current head judge Shirley Ballas spoke out to quash Strictly rumours that Boris Johnson's fiancee Carrie Symonds had signed up for the 2021 series, revealing that "It is a family show, it is not a political agenda.”
She continued, "We’re already starting to get the celebrities together and of course all the professionals have been announced and the judges. We’re very excited to be back so it’s going to be again.
“Just when you think it couldn’t get any better with intrigue and excitement, it does.”
Strictly Come Dancing is expected to return to the BBC in Autumn 2021 and The Jonathan Ross Show continues Saturday 8th May at 9:35pm on ITV and ITV Hub. Want something else to watch? Check out our full TV Guide or visit our Entertainment hub for all the latest news.
Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
