Strictly Come Dancing celebrity Vicky Pattison has confessed she’s “gutted” following Dani Dyer’s departure.
Love Island champion Dani has had to withdraw from this year’s programme after suffering a fractured ankle in a heartbreaking accident.
It remains unclear whether she’ll make a comeback to the dance floor next year, and whether another famous face is set to take her place before Saturday’s inaugural live performance.
During Thursday’s Lorraine alongside her professional partner Kai Widdrington, Vicky revealed how deeply she’ll feel Dani’s absence from the programme.
She confided to Lorraine Kelly: “She’ll be a big miss, she was my dressing room buddy and Strictly best pal, other than Kai,” reports Chronicle Live.
“I know she’s absolutely gutted, but we’re gutted to lose her, she was a ray of sunshine, a brilliant little dancer, just a nice person.”
The Geordie Shore personality confessed elsewhere that she’s a “bundle of nerves” before the inaugural live performance, acknowledging there have been “highs and lows” throughout rehearsals thus far.
“This is the first time I’ve danced sober,” she chuckled, before disclosing her debut routine is the cha-cha-cha.
“It’s a little bit spicy,” Vicky joked.
This comes after Dani revealed her own heartbreak after being forced to quit Strictly.
“I’m so heartbroken, like I’ve not felt like this in such a long time,” Dani revealed in a tearful Instagram post.
“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.”
She continued, “I love everyone. Everyone at Strictly is absolutely amazing. All the couples-I’m going to miss them so much. I will eventually come along and cheer them on. I just want to thank you all so much.”
In a statement released earlier this week, mother-of-three Dani revealed: “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 I’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.”