Matt Smith not leaving 'Who' in 2013

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LONDON, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- The BBC says current "Doctor Who" star Matt Smith isn't leaving the British science-fiction series next year, despite a tabloid report claiming he is.

Sam Hodges, head of communications at BBC TV, denied a weekend Mirror story saying the 29-year-old actor wants out of the show because the workload is too intense.

"Matt Smith hasn't quit -- just an over excitable headline," Hodges said via Twitter. "It's taken from comments saying he won't be doing it forever. He'll be around for a good while yet."

Smith became the youngest actor to play the iconic role when he started playing the Doctor in 2009.

A recent article in Empire Magazine quoted Smith as saying: "I couldn't do this for seven years. I'd be run into the ground. I don't think you can sustain it..."

"There are no days off unless your leg has fallen off," he said. "You see yourself looking slowly more bedraggled. I have aged savagely. But all for a good cause. I wouldn't change it for the world. There are burdens, but these are small crosses to bear for getting on set."