'I believe it is now the right time to step down': Sir Bruce Forsyth quits Strictly Come Dancing after fronting show for a decade
Sir Bruce Forsyth is stepping down as presenter of BBC1 series Strictly Come Dancing after a decade fronting the show, the BBC said on Friday.
He said it was the 'right time to step down from the rigours' of hosting the live shows which have become Saturday night ratings winners.
However he will continue to work on pre-recorded Strictly shows for Christmas and Children In Need as well as one-off BBC specials, and said he will also be performing in theatres.
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Farewell: Bruce Forsyth is stepping down from hosting Strictly Come Dancing
The future of Sir Bruce, 86, on the show had been a cause of speculation for some months. He had already scaled back some of his commitments, stepping down from the weekly results show and writing occasional rest weeks into his deal with show bosses.
The presenter - who has been in showbusiness since childhood - had also talked in interviews about how he would liked to spend more time abroad to avoid the cold winters in the UK.
Sir Bruce said today: 'After 10 wonderful years and 11 series, I believe it is now the right time to step down from the rigours of presenting the Strictly live shows.
Ten triumphant years: Bruce has presented the show for ten years alongside Tess Daly
'I am very proud of what the show has achieved and confident it will entertain the nation for many years to come. I am also delighted that by presenting the Christmas and Children In Need shows I will continue to have a strong association with Strictly.
'In addition, I am looking forward to the specials planned with the BBC as well as some live theatre shows, so before anyone asks, I am not retiring quite yet.'
Head judge on the show Len Goodman called him 'the driving force' of the show, and praised his 'warm and cuddly' personality while speaking to BBC news.
He did however agree it was a rigorous schedule, particularly for the hosts: 'He's done Strictly for 10 years, so he deserves to put his feet up a bit.'
BBC1 controller Charlotte Moore said: 'Sir Bruce Forsyth is one of the great showbiz legends of our time and Strictly's success is due in vast amounts to him. I am so pleased he will continue to be part of the Strictly family and promise viewers that we haven't seen the last of him on BBC1.'
Not retired just yet: Bruce will continue to work on pre-recorded Strictly shows for Christmas and Children In Need as well as one-off BBC specials
Mark Linsey, the BBC's controller of entertainment commissioning, said: 'One of the joys of my job is working with Sir Bruce Forsyth and long may that continue.
'He is the all-time master and commander when it comes to Great British entertainers and Strictly owes him such a great deal. This is not a farewell, but you can't blame him for wanting to take things a little bit easier.'
Strictly Come Dancing will return in the autumn. In recent years it has trashed its Saturday night ITV rival The X Factor in the ratings, but the singing contest is hoping to revitalise its audience by bringing back Simon Cowell and Cheryl Cole to the judging panel later this year.
Paddy Power has the show’s dancing regular Anton Du Beke as the favourite to take over at 7/4 followed by funny man Graham Norton and John Barrowman both priced up at 9/2.
Light on his feet: Bruce always started the show by dancing with his co-host Tess
He's still got it: Bruce regularly showed off his dancing skills
Just last week Sir Bruce and other figures from Strictly collected an award for the programme when it was named best entertainment/comedy show at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards.
And at the time the entertainer - who had returned from a spell in Puerto Rico - said no decision had been reached about his future on the show.
'When I calm down a bit I will then think about it and will see what's in the melting pot," he said.
The 2013 series - which was won by model Abbey Clancy and also featured TV presenter Susanna Reid and singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor - was the best yet, he said.
The 2013 series - which was won by model Abbey Clancy and also featured TV presenter Susanna Reid and singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor - was the best yet, he said.
Cover: Natasha Kaplinsky stood in for Tess Daly in 2004 while she was on maternity leave
Big moment: Theentertainer Sir was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II during an Investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace on October 12, 2011
'I think last year was probably the best series because the dancing was so good. We had about six couples at the end and any one of them could have won it. Ten years we've been on - for a show to still be improving is wonderful.'
Strictly was something of a comeback for Sir Bruce who had been a Saturday night fixture on the BBC in the 1970s with family show The Generation Game.
He went on to enjoy success on ITV with Play Your Cards Right but famously announced he was quitting the network in 2000, unhappy with the way he claimed he was being treated by then programme boss David Liddiment.
Sir Bruce is soon to return to ITV for the first time since then, presenting a programme about his late friend Sammy Davis Jr for the Perspectives arts documentary series.
BRUCE FORSYTH: HIS DANCE TO SUCCESS ON STRICTLY
Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson was born into a Salvation Army family in Edmonton, north London, on February 22 1928 and was set on a career in showbusiness from an early age.
Aged 14, he left home to tour Britain as The Boy Bruce - The Mighty Atom and made his broadcasting debut the same year.
He paid his dues over two decades of performing in draughty halls and waiting for his big break.
It duly came in 1958 when the call came to host Sunday Night at the London Palladium.
It duly came in 1958 when the call came to host Sunday Night at the London Palladium.
The initial booking was for two weeks but he stayed for five years and emerged as Britain's highest-paid entertainer earning £1,000 a week.
Along the way, he shared the stage with top names including Tommy Cooper, Dudley Moore, Harry Secombe and Frankie Howerd.
He went on to reign supreme at the helm of the BBC flagship show The Generation Game from 1971 to 1977 and joined it again when it made a comeback in the 1990s. At its peak, the show attracted more than 20 million viewers.
His ITV series Play Your Cards Right was a huge success, although it ended with an uncharacteristic sour note, when he accused his bosses of taking the show off without telling him, even though it was drawing audiences around the 14 million mark.
The honours kept coming and he collected an OBE and CBE before being knighted in the Birthday Honours of 2011.
He found a new generation of fans in 2004 when, in effective semi-retirement, he was brought back to host a new version of an old programme: Strictly, Come Dancing.
The show has been a massive hit and confirmed Sir Bruce's status as the king of Saturday night.
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