Sudden exit leaves Dancing With the Stars viewers stunned
Fans of Dancing With the Stars were left in shock as celebrity chef Matt Preston made an unexpected decision to quit the show on Sunday night, creating a first in the series' history.
After finding himself in the bottom two and facing a dance-off against former AFL star Gavin Wanganeen to secure his spot in the competition, the former MasterChef judge interrupted host Daryl Somers to drop a bombshell announcement.
“I’ve loved everything about this, but my ankle is cooked,” Preston revealed to Somers and co-host Sonia Kruger.
“I can’t dance again tonight so what I want to do is to concede and give the win to Gavin, who did brilliantly today and I’m so proud to be doing this for you, brother.”
Somers, clearly taken aback, expressed that such a situation had never occurred before and invited the judges to share their thoughts on Preston's decision.
“I mean, injuries happen and there’s nothing you can do about that,” Craig Revel Horwood said.
“I’ve been a dancer all my life, if you’re injured you shouldn’t dance on an injury – so Matt, I think you’ve made the right decision. Sad to see you go, but Gavin, darling welcome, for you get another life on the show now.”
“You’re absolutely doing the right thing and thank you for giving us determination and your courage, you’ve been wonderful,” Sharna Burgess agreed.
“And I’m gonna give you a big hug after the show.”
During a recent candid interview on the Stellar podcast "Something To Talk About," Preston shed light on his motivation for joining the dancing competition in the first place, explaining his desire to step far outside his comfort zone.
“An opportunity like Dancing comes along and you go, ‘I don’t need to do it.’ And then you go, ‘Well, let’s have a crack,’” he said.
“There’s one word that I keep hearing a lot from certain people of a certain age who’ve achieved a lot, and that’s the fear of ‘humiliation’. I think this is a really debilitating idea, this idea that your children are going to think less of you or your friends are going to joke about you.
“Humiliation is just an anxiety that really has no place in the modern world.”
Images: Channel 10