Strictly star admits show was a ‘big mistake’ after quitting over health fears

In 2021, Robert Webb signed up for Strictly Come Dancing, but his journey was cut short after just three live shows.

Now, in hindsight, he admits it was a ‘big mistake’ agreeing to take part in the BBC dance show in the first place.

The Peep Show comedian, 52, was paired with Australian professional Dianne Buswell for his stint on the 19th series, which was ultimately won by Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice.

Robert and Dianne, 36, quickly won viewers’ hearts with their fun partnership, but things took a turn when Robert had to withdraw on health grounds.

Finishing in 13th place, he said he had an urgent consultation with his heart specialist, who advised him to pull out of the competition, as he had been experiencing symptoms of his condition.

At the time, Robert issued a statement of regret, confessing: ‘It became clear that I had bitten off way more than I could chew for this stage in my recovery.’

Now, the actor, who rose to prominence alongside David Mitchell as the duo Mitchell and Webb, has reflected on his brief Strictly stint, saying he agreed to do it because ‘these opportunities don’t come along very often.’

‘They don’t happen to everyone. And I’d just nearly died, so I thought, “This is no time to be sitting on the edges; why don’t you contribute and participate?” It all sounded like a good idea at the time,’ he tells The Times.

Co-star and fellow beloved comedian David, 51, voted for him when the lines opened, but it sadly got to a point where Robert was unable to continue.

‘It all added up to a big mistake.’

He explains that, ‘on paper, [he] was in quite good shape’, but he hadn’t anticipated the schedule being so intense, which ‘hit [him] like a sack of dancing potatoes’.

‘That schedule is a law unto itself, and I just wasn’t anywhere close to being able to do that. I don’t even know if I could now. I don’t think it’d be a very good idea.’

He added jokingly that he struggled to remember the moves to his routines, having danced a cha-cha, a quickstep, and a tango on live TV.

In 2020, he had an emergency operation for a mitral valve prolapse, which he was diagnosed with during a routine check-up. Also called Barlow syndrome, the condition affects the valve separating the left heart chambers.

Robert is now five years post-heart surgery, which he believes has ‘changed [his] perspective’ on life, making him a ‘different’ person in ways.

Initially, Robert put the diagnosis down to heavy drinking, prompting him to give up alcohol entirely after ‘treating [his] body like a skip’.

He also previously admitted that he’d been ‘slowly killing’ himself with his dependence on booze and cigarettes, which, while not the cause of his heart condition, are likely to have exacerbated it.

The TV star noted one of his symptoms pre-op was constant tiredness, but he had no idea how serious it was or how unwell he was.

In the lead-up to his surgery, he was ‘literally just walking around trying not to have a heart attack’.

As such, doctors were keen to operate on him as soon as possible, shutting down talk of delaying the procedure because he ‘wouldn’t have lasted two days’ at home.

Thankfully, Robert is now in much better shape and well out of that ‘touch-and-go’ stage, which saw him lose two-thirds of his blood cells.

He’s also had therapy for his drinking and smoking, and has thrown himself into his career. As well as his appearances on panel shows, Robert is known for various sitcom stints, radio, and his books.

As for Strictly, the 2025 series is just weeks away, with this year’s contestants including Vicky Pattison, George Clarke, Dani Dyer, Stefan Davis, Thomas Skinner, Ellie Goldstein, and Balvinder Sopal.

They’ll take to the dancefloor for the first time on September 20.

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