php - How to remove plain text from a string after using strip_tags() -

so have string , used strip_tags() function remove tags except img still have plain text next img element. here visual example

$myvariable = "this text needs removed<a href='blah_blah_blah'>blah</a><img src='blah.jpg'>" 

so using php strip_tags() able remove tags except <img> tag (which want). thing didn't remove text.

how remove left on text? text either before tag or after tag

[added more details]

$description = 'crazy stuff<a href="https://websta.me/p/1337373806024694030_327078936"><img src="https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e15/14287934_1389514537744146_673363238_n.jpg?ig_cache_key=mtmznzm3mzgwnjayndy5ndazma%3d%3d.2"></a>'; 

that's variable holding.

thanks in advance

instead of replacing can extract values want:

(<(\w+).+</\2>) 

to used preg_match(), see a demo on regex101.com.
in php:

<?php $regex = '~(<(\w+).+</\2>)~'; $string = 'crazy stuff<a href="https://websta.me/p/1337373806024694030_327078936"><img src="https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e15/14287934_1389514537744146_673363238_n.jpg?ig_cache_key=mtmznzm3mzgwnjayndy5ndazma%3d%3d.2"></a>here well';  if (preg_match($regex, $string, $match)) {     echo $match[1]; } ?>