Captain Lee Rosbach revealed he is taking a step back from Below Deck (Picture: Bravo)
Captain Lee Rosbach has confirmed his Below Deck exit in emotional scenes, amid a string of health battles.
Viewers have watched the 73-year-old struggle on deck since season 10 kicked off last month, after he underwent surgery on his back.
In the first staff meeting of the series, he announced that he would be ‘depending’ on his crew – including chief stew Fraser Olender and chef Rachel Hargroves – more while getting back on his feet.
However, it all became too much for the Bravo favorite who was forced to take a back seat.
In the latest episode, he sat his crew down to share his next steps, telling them: ‘My injury, it’s getting worse. The left side of my body, I don’t feel anything.’
He continued: ‘I expected a lot more progress than I’m experiencing, and the most frustrating part about it is, I can’t do a God damn thing about it, and it’s hard.’
Captain Lee has been on board for nearly a decade (Picture: Bravo)
At the end of the episode, he gathered his crew where he then broke the devastating news.
‘As you guys know, I’ve been struggling with my mobility, and it’s been hard,’ he said.
‘And I’ve let you guys down, and for that, I apologize. So I’ve made a decision to leave the boat.’
Captain Lee has become a favorite with viewers since the first season kicked off in 2013, and has appeared in nearly every episode since.
Fans have proclaimed him the ‘Stud of the Sea’, thanks to his efforts in the wheelhouse and his instantly iconic catchphrases in his confessionals.
However, before filming on the 10th and current series began, the 73-year-old underwent surgery on his back and had been working hard to regain his fitness.
‘I am a little incapacitated,’ he told his staff in the premiere.
‘I have a nerve issue on my left side so I am going to depend on you guys in some areas.’
Kate Chastain recently insisted that he is going nowhere (Picture: Bravo)
Speaking to the camera in a confessional, he added: ‘I had back surgery before I left.
‘The worst is behind me now, and the doctors have assured me that I’m just going to continue to get better. I said, “Well, I’m going to work!”’
Captain Lee was previously rumored to be taking a step back from the series earlier this year, but had not addressed the speculation publicly.
However, former chief stew Kate Chastain was recently questioned about his future on the program, and insisted that he’s not going anywhere.
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‘He’s always coming back. Captain Lee will probably be on Below Deck for as long as the show is on,’ she vowed on Brandi Glanville’s Unfiltered podcast.
‘There is a saying that every good captain goes down with the ship and metaphorically Captain Lee would do that.’
‘Coming up on the new season of Below Deck – airing this fall on Bravo – there is a change that happens, that has never happened before in prior seasons,’ she cryptically continued.
‘Captain Lee may or may not be the captain some of the time.’
Below Deck airs on Bravo in the US and is available to stream on hayu in the UK.
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‘I’ve let you guys down.’
