There were plenty of tears on last year's Strictly Come Dancing, mostly from reigning champion Carlos Gu, after it was confirmed that Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman would be leaving the show after jointly presenting it since 2014.
In an exclusive interview with HELLO!, Carlos, who won the show with Karen Carney, opened up about the pair's departures. "We were all devastated, they are the core of the show," he explained. "They are such a great pair and they did amazing jobs.
"And on top of that, we're the end of Tess and Claudia's era. That makes the win even more special, but nothing's going to last [forever]. They want to spend more time with their families on the weekends, and if I have one in the future, I'd want to spend more time with them."
However, Tess and Claudia aren't the only cast departures for the next series, with the likes of Karen Hauer, Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk and Michelle Tsiakkas also confirming that they're not returning in the autumn.
While at the time of our conversation, Carlos couldn't confirm whether there were any more departures in the pipeline, he also revealed that while he hadn't had official confirmation about his own return, he wasn't planning on going anywhere.
Although, as you'll read later on, the Chinese-born dancer has plenty of projects in the offing, he remained steadfast about his commitment to the BBC show. He told us: "I [have] loved every single second on Strictly Come Dancing. The show is the only platform that I know of that can really bring joy to a broad audience.
"On one night, we have five or six million viewers, with the final we have 11 or 12 million watching, which means that I can ibring joy to 12 million people. Why would I leave? I'm not going anywhere, Strictly is definitely my priority."
He continued: "Last year changed my perspective on so many things. I no longer think about myself, instead it's now how can I bring joy to people who aren't happy in their lives."
© CREDIT LINE:BBC/Guy LevyAnd for anyone wondering how the Strictly stars get their futures confirmed on the show, he revealed: "You have a meeting with the whole production team, and they will tell you the decision that's going to be made, whether the pros are kept on, but everyone gets their say."
Strictly win
Last year, Carlos managed to snatch the Strictly Glitterball alongside former Lioness and pundit Karen Carney. The pair's friendship captured the hearts of the nation, with the pair never facing the prospect of elimination before they claimed the trophy, beating out George Clarke and Amber Davies in the process.
Reflecting on his win, the pro dancer said: "It's a once in a lifetime experience, and I don't think I will ever become a [Strictly] champion again. It's amazing to win the show, not just because of your work ethic and your craft, but also with how much the audience connected with the journey."
© CREDIT LINE:BBC/Guy LevyAnd he had high praise for his dance partner, sharing: "Karen is such an amazing human inside and out, and you can feel that she received so much love and support from the public. She really showcased what a sportsperson is like, not only with her work ethic, but also what an incredible human she is."
The pair have remained close, with Karen going to Carlos's debut solo show, and the pair also getting matching tattoos. Speaking about their decision, the pro dancer sweetly commented: "I went on Karen's podcast with Jill Scott, and I told her that my goal for Karen is to change her from a caterpillar into a butterfly. Karen came in with lack of confidence, not believing in herself, someone who had her walls up and wasn't willing to share much about her.
© Instagram"But now, she has gained so much confidence. Jill told us at the time, 'Oh, if you win the show, you should get butterfly tattoos'. Neither of us thought we would win, but when we did, Karen was still up for the idea!"
Karen impressed fans throughout her Strictly journey, cementing herself as a front-runner with a jaw-dropping jive, and following a dip in scores, blowing us all away with her passionate Argentine tango. But despite this, Carlos admitted to us that he never anticipated that the pair would ultimately win the show.
© CREDIT LINE:BBC/Guy Levy"This is the only time that I didn't think about winning," he told us. "All I wanted was to give the best experience to Karen, so that she'd love every second of it. I know how much she loves dancing, even more than me sometimes!"
One moment that caught many off guard in the final was when Carlos got emotional, explaining that during his time on the show, he had previously been quite "self-centered". Speaking about the moment, the star said: "I'm a very in the moment person, so when the moment comes, I just say anything in my head.
© BBC"Being paired up with Karen Carney was one of the best experiences in my life, because of who she is as a human. She taught me so much with her actions, and even without words, you learn so much from her, she's so honest and authentic within herself, and the love that she has for other beings is just incredible to watch.
"That's why when I gave that speech, I genuinely felt I never really was a teammate, she taught me how to be a teammate. Never let your teammate down, always be there for them, no matter the situation; if it's harder, if it's better, if it's good, if it's bad, always be there, stick with each other, always support each other, and always have a love to share and look out for people who need love."
Upcoming projects
Away from the show, Carlos has plenty of work, including his second nationwide tour with close friend and Strictly co-star Amy Dowden. In the first iteration of the tour, Carlos showed off his singing chops, and explaining the concept of the show, he said: "Reborn is something that me and Amy created together. It's a story that we don't really tell on Strictly, it's a story that's close to our hearts about our own personal journey through dancing and singing, but also the friendships that we have.
"We always need music and dancing, but most importantly, we need friends and Reborn showcases the great friendships we have between the two of us. We want to intertwine our personal stories together to inspire people and have some fun too."
© InstagramIt's not just onstage that fans can see the pair, as they'll also be on our screens soon as they appear together in Celebrity Hunted. Speaking about the experience, he teased it was "horrendous", saying: "Celebrity Hunted was the hardest thing I've ever done in my entire life.
"I'm a big sleep person, and there were nights I couldn't sleep because we're under so much pressure. However, I've learned so much about myself, I love living a good quality life, but I realised you don't need much to live. The main things are a friend and a good heart."
Carlos then joked: "I have a feeling that people were complaining that I cried so much on Strictly last year. In my head, I was like, 'Wait until you see me on Celebrity Hunted'. I cried every day."
It's not just TV work that the 33-year-old has going on, as he will also be launching a beauty brand, Guood by Gu in the coming months, focusing on freckle pens. "The whole inspiration is just because I want freckles, and I can't have them," he said. "I admire those people who have natural freckles on their faces and bodies. I started buying freckle pens online, but I wasn't impressed with them, and then one of my friends suggested I design my own."
© InstagramAnd he also indicated that he could one day end up on the West End like co-star Johannes Radebe, revealing that his dream role would be as the MC in Cabaret.
Family tragedy
The professional dancer has recently been open about the death of his father, who was killed by members of the Chinese mafia when the star was young.
Speaking about the impact on his life, Carlos shared: "It made me love women more. I was raised by all these incredible women, my grandma, my mum, my aunties. My mum has such a beautiful grace, and she gave me a life without fear of missing out. Growing up, I never really worried about not having a dad, my aunties were like, 'Poor baby, no, Dad,' but I feel that growing up without a dad is better than having one and losing him.
"I appreciate women more, their qualities, and I understand the position women are in within society I support women entirely. They were always key figures for me growing up, even when I became a professional dancer, I needed women. Without a woman, I couldn't compete."
Carlos is on tour in May & June, visit www.amyandcarlostour.co.uk for tickets.
