fans have a judging panel demand should go ahead with his plans for an early retirement.
Craig previously hinted he wanted to stop working and live a life of luxury by the age of 50 – and with him turning 60 next year, fans are worried it could mean Craig quitting his judging role.
He originally told the RTE Guide: “When I was 25, I started a pension. I believed that I needed to put enough money so that I could retire at 50 because I didn’t want to keep dancing for the rest of my life.
“I also wanted to be able to afford a bottle of champagne every day. Back then there was a retired guy living downstairs and he’d have a bottle of champagne each morning and I thought, ‘Wouldn’t that be a lovely life?’”
Craig has since shot down rumours he’s quitting any time soon – adding he “wouldn’t mind being on the panel of Strictly until I’m dead”. But aged 50, he hinted he only had a decade left in him, confessing: “I’ll have to continue for a bit because I’m in the process of renovating my house and I need more money.”
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Strictly fans are worried Craig Revel Horwood could bow out (Image: Getty)
Over on , fans are speculating on just who could replace the star if he does decide to bow out. One user posted: “Now, as some of you may or may not know, Craig in the past has officially stated that he plans to retire once he turns 60, which I believe includes being on Strictly as well.
“Craig turns 60 next year so the current season or next season could potentially be his last season as judge. If he does follow through with this plan, who do you see replacing him, if they don’t decide to reduce the judging panel to 3 when he leaves?”
One fan said: “Maybe it’ll be . He became a judge on the Spanish version of the show, and there was a segment on ITT the other week where we saw about it and he was very critical and gave low marks.
Craig has been a judge since 2004 (Image: Getty)
“I’ve seen someone say in another thread that he doesn’t want to leave Strictly and might have taken the job as a judge on the Spanish version in the hopes of getting to be a judge on Strictly if the producers don’t want him in the pro lineup anymore.”
Another said: “Throughout this series I’ve said to my husband that I wouldn’t be surprised if Gorka retired as a pro after the final or the live tour as he’s got a young family & he’s made it clear that he found it difficult to be away from home so much during the week as he was often going up to Glasgow to do his training with his partner.
Bruno Tonioli was previously replaced on the show by Anton Du Beke (Image: Getty)
“He also now has a career outside Strictly with his family reality TV show & other projects so it could be argued that he no longer needs Strictly. I’d be sad to see him step down but I could totally understand why he’d make that decision & I think he could be a great addition to the judging panel if Craig leaves.”
Others suggested pros like Brendan Cole or James Jordan could return to replace Craig, as someone else suggested Kevin Clifton could be a worthy replacement.