Strictly Come Dancing has been thrown into turmoil just before the first live show, as Dani Dyer has been forced to pull out due to an injury.
The 29-year-old, who was paired with professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin, said she was “heartbroken” to not be able to compete.
Dani, 29, shared her devastation in a statement on Tuesday evening, as she said: “I had a fall on Friday in rehearsals and landed funny. I thought I had rolled my foot but it swelled up badly over the weekend and after an MRI scan yesterday, it turns out I have fractured my ankle.
“Apparently doing the quickstep on a fracture is not advisable (! ! ) and the doctors have said I am not allowed to dance so l’ve had to pull out of the show. To say I’m heartbroken is the biggest understatement. I am so going to miss dancing with Nikita but will of course be watching closely and cheering all the couples on.”
Dani later told her Instagram followers she will take “a few days off my socials” to process her departure and will eventually return to set to cheer on the remaining cast.
Apparently holding back tears, she said in the video on Tuesday evening: “Hi guys, I’m going to do this, and try and do this without crying, but yeah, I’m so heartbroken, like I’ve not felt like this in such a long time.
“I was having the best time ever… It’s just (a) very, very annoying, devastating thing that I’m kind of going through right now, but I’m probably just going to have a few days off my socials just to, you know, process things.
“I just want to thank you all so much for all your love and support. But yeah, I’m gutted, I’m absolutely gutted.”
Everyone at Strictly “is absolutely amazing” and “I’m going to miss them all so much”, she said, adding: “I will eventually obviously come along and cheer them all on.”
Following the announcement, Sarah James, Executive Producer at BBC Studios, added: “Dani has brought so much passion, joy and enthusiasm to Strictly, and her partnership with Nikita was off to the most sensational start.
“Everyone on the show is incredibly sad that she’s no longer able to compete in this year’s series. We send her all our love and best wishes for a swift recovery, and we very much hope to welcome her back to the ballroom in the future”, reports the Mirror.
Both BBC Strictly and Dani shared the unfortunate news on Instagram, with fans and viewers expressing their sadness at the announcement.
Among them was professional dancer Amy Dowden, who is paired with Tom Skinner on the show. She penned in the comments section: “Sending you so much love and a speedy recovery @danidyerxx absolutely gutted for you and @nikita__kuzmin.”
Tasha Ghouri also chimed in, stating: “Sending love to you @danidyerxx! ! I hope you have a speedy recovery,” accompanied by love heart emojis.
Head judge Shirley Ballas replied: “I’m so so sorry. But health is most important. Get well soon Angel.” Dani’s dad, former EastEnders actor Danny Dyer, posted a broken heart emoji.
The hit BBC One reality series has started its 23rd series, with the launch show broadcast on Saturday.