Strictly Come Dancing’s Nadiya Bychkova has been taken to hospital after she suffered a fall during the rehearsals earlier today. The news comes as the celebrity contestants are starting to be announced, while the professional dancers have already kickstarted their training for the group dances.
The Ukrainian professional dancer first appeared on Strictly on the 15th series of the dancing show in 2017. She was partnered with EastEnders actor Davood Ghadami. In the latest series of the competition, she was the first couple to be eliminated as she paired up with Olympic swimmer Tom Dean.
With the 2025 series just weeks away, the professional dancers are perfecting their impressive group routines. But on Tuesday August 12, Nadiya was taken to hospital in an ambulance after injuring herself in the training room.
An ambulance was called amid fears over her back, the Mirror reports. An insider said: “It looked pretty nasty and no-one was taking any chances. The Strictly crew rushed into action and she was stretchered out.”
A source close to Strictly said: “As a precaution, following a fall during rehearsals, Nadiya was taken to hospital for checks and is receiving full support from medical and welfare teams. Rehearsals continue and the Strictly team are in close contact with Nadiya.”
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 12:37pm on Tuesday 12 August to reports of an incident at Regent’s Park Road, NW1. We sent an ambulance crew to the scene and treated one person before taking them to hospital”.
The 35-year-old professional dancer spent a number of hours undergoing tests but it’s understood she has since left hospital. The worrying news comes as the fresh batch of celebrity contestants are starting to be announced ahead of the upcoming series.
Gladiators star Harry Aikines-Aryeetey was the first to be revealed. The 36-year-old is known for his role as Nitro on the BBC programme. The former Team GB sprinter took part in last year’s Christmas special and will return for the full season next month.
During The One Show on Monday night, hosts Alex Scott and Roman Kemp revealed the next three famous faces who will be starring in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.
The second celebrity to be confirmed was reality TV star Dani Dyer-Bowen, followed by actress Alex Kingston and former football player Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. It has since been announced that EastEnders star, Balvinder Sopal and social media star George Clarke are also taking part in the competition.
Claudia Winkleman will return as co-host for the 2025 series alongside Tess Daly. Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, and Motsi Mabuse will be dusting off their numbers as part of the iconic judging panel.
Gorka Marquez announced last week that he would not be competing as part of the core line-up for the upcoming season. The Spanish dancer will step back from the race to win the Glitterball due to other commitments.
He said: “I am happy to announce that I will be back for season two of BAILANDO CON LAS ESTRELLAS as a judge from September. Due to the filming dates this means that I won’t be competing with a partner this year in Strictly but I will be a part of lots of the group numbers and will be back for final weeks of the show to support the rest of my fellow pros and their celebrities in what is going to be an AMAZING SERIES.
“As always thank you for all The love and support and remember! Keep dancing!!” However, Gorka is still looking forward to the show as he shared a series of heart eye emojis in response.