Succession actor Brian Cox 'turned down chance to appear on Strictly Come Dancing'

Brian Cox has revealed he turned down an offer to appear on Strictly Come Dancing, saying: “I don’t know if I want to go down that road.”

The 77-year-old Scottish actor, known for playing Logan Roy in the hit TV drama Succession, said he is “too old” to be a contestant on the dancing competition.

Appearing on BBC One programme Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, the Emmy award-winning actor spoke about the show and said: “I’ve actually been asked to be on it.”

Asked if he said yes to an appearance, he responded: “No, I declined. Well… I mean, I like dancing, don’t get me wrong… I don’t know why but I just, I always see that there’s a sort of joke element in it.

“You know, there’s almost a character that’s going to be getting the elbow… and I just thought, ‘I don’t know if I want to go down that road’.”

Asked if he could be persuaded, he said: “I’m getting too old for it anyway.”

The grand final of Strictly Come Dancing 2023 was on Saturday night, with the glitterball trophy awarded to soap star Ellie Leach and her professional dance partner Vito Coppola.

Journalist Kuenssberg discussed the competition with Cox and the programme’s other guest panellists, Good Morning Britain presenter Susanna Reid and former cabinet minister Robert Buckland.

Reid, 53, was a celebrity contestant on the show in 2013 and made it to the final, where she competed against Coronation Street’s Natalie Gumede and model Abbey Clancy, who won the show.

Speaking about this year’s final she said: “Huge congratulations to the winners.”

She added: “It’s the most magical, sparkling, fantastic experience to be involved in.

“It is not real life. So I have to say, any of those contestants who wake up this morning, they will come back down to earth with a bump because it’s like a completely different planet where you breathe air which is sequin encrusted.”