Professional dancer Kevin Clifton is to make a return to the world of Strictly Come Dancing after exiting the programme four years ago.

The star will now appear on Strictly's sister show It Takes Two next week for its Choreography Corner segment.

Strictly It Takes Two host Fleur East announced the news on Tuesday night's Halloween edition with Clifton set to temporarily replace his sister Joanne.

Kevin Clifton quit the show all the way back in 2019 and since then has entered a relationship with documentary filmmaker Stacey Dooley.

Kevin Clifton left Strictly to give 'younger dancers the chance to come through'

At the time, the upcoming It Takes Two presenter said: "To the entire Strictly family. The past 7 years have been some of the most wonderful years of my life. I am grateful to the BBC and Strictly Come Dancing for giving me the opportunity to have been a part of something truly special.

"Since first being called 'Kevin From Grimsby' by Sir Bruce Forsyth in 2013 I have experienced the highs of 5 finals, winning a Guinness World record on It Takes Two, the Strictly Arena tour Glitterball and then the ultimate of winning the 2018 series with Stacey Dooley.

"After finishing last series with the Children In Need trophy and the Christmas Special I want to leave on a high and have therefore decided the time has come to move on and focus on other areas of my life and career."

In 2020, he explained that he had decided to leave the show as he didn't want to be the oldest professional there.

He added: "Me leaving gives younger dancers the chance to come through now. Nobody is bigger than the show."

"At age 23 it would be different. I’d look at it and think, ‘I can stay on this for the next ten or 15 years’, but at 37 years old I was thinking, ‘I’m going to turn 38.' If it’s going to be similar to what I have already done I don’t see myself doing it into my forties. I have got so many other interests and I thought, 'I’ll have to leave at some point.'"