Strictly star says they left TV after suffering a brain tumour as they open up on 'dark times'
Well renowned astrologer and former Strictly Come Dancing star Russell Grant has revealed he took a step back from TV after suffering a brain tumour. Taking to TikTok,the 73-year-old addressed why he hadn’t been on TV for a while, in a video at the seaside.
Speaking to the camera, Russell opened up to his followers: “Many of you have asked why I came off telly, for a while, well the answer is I had a brain tumour. I won’t go into it now, I just want you to take in the sunshine and the sea and I’ll tell you all about it another time."
In the caption on X, formerly known as Twitter, Russell wrote: “Afternoon pals, I’ve had many a person ask me why I’ve not been on telly for a while so I’ve posted this on TikTok just now … for those who don’t know."
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Continuing, he said: “I’ll tell my story in bite size pieces. Thanks for being there and seeing me through dark times, folks.”
The comments of the post were flooded with well-wishes from family and friends, as one penned: ”Nothing quite like the sound of the sea Russell, thank you for sharing. Sending love and hugs.xx”
“I’m sorry to hear that Russell, the sea is so healing, thank you for sharing it,” said a second, while a third wrote: “Looking great Russell. Take care of yourself.”
As well as previously presenting his own shows, including Russell Grant's Sporting Scandals on ITV and The Russell Grant Show on Sky One, the star has also made guest appearances on This Morning, as well as competing on reality TV shows like Celebrity Masterchef.
Russell took to the dance floor in 2011, where he was paired with professional dance partner Flavia Cacace. The pair quickly became fan favourites, and were the seventh couple to leave the show after finishing bottom of the leader board.
Despite his appearance on the BBC show being over a decade ago, fans still haven’t forgotten one of the show's most infamous moments, as the astrologer was fired out of a cannon in front of a crowd of thousands at Wembley Arena, to the S Club 7 song, Reach.
However, Russell originally wasn’t going to compete in show at all, fearing he was ‘too old’. “In 2011, I was sat quietly at home in North Wales and the phone rang and the question came of if I would be interested in doing Strictly," he told Huffington Post. "And I said no, I was too old. I didn’t have the confidence and I didn’t believe in myself enough. I wanted to stay in my comfort zone, which was astrology then, forgetting that my background was not astrology."
