Aliona Vilani says she had no choice to leave Strictly Come Dancing after last year's series.
The pro performer won the latest run with celebrity partner Jay McGuiness to make her the only professional in Strictly history to lift the glitterball twice.
But shortly afterwards Aliona announced her exit and revealed this week she 'had' to leave due to the amount of dedication required.
"Strictly is a really full-on show, so basically you have to take five months out of your life," she said. "You don't see your friends, you don't see your family, you don't have any days off.
"Let's say I want to start a family and have a baby - I don't want to take five months out of my life and not be with my child, especially in the beginning. So I think I really had to step away."
Speaking to Digital Spy at the TRIC Awards, Aliona continued: "When I decided I knew what I was doing, but I kind of have no other choic.
"I really want to start a family with my husband and I can't just take five months out of my life and not be with my family, without any days off."
She added: "I don't mind if I would have a day or two days off - maybe that would change my mind - but with Strictly you can't have that."
Aliona is one of four pros to have quit the cast so far ahead of the new series alongside Ola Jordan, Kristina Rihanoff and most recently Tristan MacManus.
"I think over the time I have been there I have realised more and more that it is not for me," Tristan said earlier in the week.
But Aliona was sure the show won't suffer with all the departures.
"Every year the cast is always amazing, and every year there's new dancers, and some of the previous dancers would leave the show, so it's good," she said. "The show is evolving, the cast is evolving, so it's amazing. I think it's good, it's healthy."
A spokesperson for the BBC said: "The new series is still six months away and the 2016 professional dancers line-up will be announced in due course."
Strictly Come Dancing 2016 will start on TV later this year.
The post Aliona Vilani says she 'had to leave' Strictly Come Dancing appeared first on Telly Mix.