Vincent Simone: I left Strictly at the right time – it has become too Americanised | News | Strictly Come Dancing | What's on TV

Vincent Simone has said he left Strictly Come Dancing at the 'perfect' time, suggesting the show had started to become too Americanised.

The pro joined Strictly in 2006 and performed his last waltz in 2013.

He told The Sun it was the right time for him to go because the series was starting to follow in the footsteps of its US counterpart, Dancing With The Stars, and he preferred a simpler version without all of the extras detracting from the dance.

Vincent Simone (Yui Mok/PA)

He said: “It works in America because in America everything is big, but I don’t know. I think there was something about the simplicity of just a man and a woman dancing, in my opinion.

“And I used to love it – especially when I made the final with Rachel Stevens, that was just me and her and the music and you get drawn into what we’re doing and you don’t have a car or a train, dogs… So that was the best time. I was lucky to be part of [it].”

Vincent – whose professional partner Flavia Cacace left Strictly at the same time as him – went on: “The most important thing was that when I was involved in it there was only me, my partner and the music, nothing else.”