Why did Will Young quit Strictly Come Dancing 2016 and was Len Goodman involved in the singer’s exit?
WHEN Will Young pulled out of Strictly Come Dancing back in 2016, eyebrows were raised.
His shock exit came a few dances after being controversially berated by chief judge Len Goodman for his performance with partner Karen Clifton - here is what we know..
What has Will Young said about leaving Strictly?
Will's statement at the time read: "To be a part of Strictly has been a long time ambition of mine.
"I have found a creative partnership with Karen that has been the most wonderful thing to experience.
"Unfortunately, I am leaving the show for personal reasons. I leave with joy in my heart that I have been able to take part in one of the most loved shows on British television."
Friends of the singer blamed his anxiety as the reason for quitting. However, a source revealed to The Sun Online that Strictly bosses believe Will quit because he couldn't win.
Insiders pinpointed his clash with Len Goodman as the tipping point for the Light My Fire singer.
At his final performance and despite Len's negative remarks, Will and Karen received three eights from the rest of the judging panel and a seven from Len.
This gave them a score of 31. Remaining fairly high up on the leaderboard each week, Will's marks mean he could have easily have had a stab at the coveted Glitter Ball.
In May 2017, Will finally spoke out about his controversial departure, claiming the veteran judge WASN'T the catalyst for his decision.
When quizzed on the matter by The Times Magazine, he said: “It was important for me to leave Strictly for my own wellbeing."
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What did happen between Will Young and Len Goodman on the show?
It all got slightly awkward on the BBC1 show when Will was told to “shut up” by head judge Len Goodman after the singer spoke out against the criticism of his Salsa.
Len had said that he would have liked a bit "more of the salsa" and claimed that he only got "about 6 or 8 bars in the middle".
But Will begged to differ and said: "There are 24 counts of salsa in the routine."
Len later remarked: "Turn up, keep up and shut up".
However, The Sun revealed that Will met up with the Strictly cast on February 4 during the Manchester leg of the tour.
He was spotted shaking hands with Len and the two were seen laughing and joking together suggesting that, if there had been a rift, it had finally been healed.