“I’ve turned Strictly down twice. I enjoy a good dance, but it has nothing to do with money” Danny Murphy on why you won’t see him on the hit BBC show
For two decades, Danny Murphy enjoyed a hugely successful playing career, winning a host of major honours with Liverpool and earning nine England caps.
Since hanging up his boots in 2013, the former Crewe Alexandra academy graduate has become a familiar face in the media, making regular appearances for the BBC on television and radio.
And while Murphy has found his groove as a pundit, there are some broadcasting avenues that he has no desire to go down.
Why you won’t see Danny Murphy in sequins
Ratings-behemoth Strictly Come Dancing is one of the BBC’s most popular shows and has seen plenty of sports stars swap the playing field for the ballroom in recent years.
Former Lionesses star Karen Carney became the first ex-footballer to claim the glitterball last year, while Shaun Wright-Phillips bowed out five weeks into the current series.
But any fans wanting to see Murphy swap the commentary box for the sequins and become the latest ex-player to strut his stuff on the dancefloor will be left disappointed.
“I’ve turned Strictly down twice,” Murphy tells FourFourTwo. “I enjoy a good dance, but I’m not into sequins and I’ve got a busy life – it had nothing to do with money.”
For some sporting personalities, appearing on Strictly has been a way to show off a different side of themselves, but Murphy is content to leave this particular challenge to others.
Instead, the ex-Fulham and Tottenham man simply knows where his interests lie and does not feel the need to step out of his comfort zone and into the Strictly limelight.
“For me, the less limelight, the better,” he continues. “I love talking about football, it’s the one area in life that I feel I know something about.”
This preference for sticking to his strengths is why Murphy rejects the idea of taking on an entirely new challenge in front of millions of viewers.
“Crossing over to do something that isn’t my strong point? It’s not for me,” he concludes.
