Love Island star Dani Dyer was forced to exit the Strictly Come Dancing days before her first dance on the series’ first live show after suffering a painful injury
Dani Dyer has shared a sweet message for her Strictly Come Dancing co-stars ahead of tonight’s first live show after being forced to leave the show earlier this week due to an injury.
It was announced on Tuesday that the 29-year-old would no longer be able to compete on the show after a fall during rehearsals led to her fracturing her ankle. However, despite not being able to take part, Dani has sent a message of support to her co-stars.
Taking to her Instagram stories, the mum-of-three wrote: “Good luck to all the gorgeous cast starting there Strictly journey tonight. Can’t wait to watch you all, so proud & know how hard you’ve all been working.. see you all soon.”
The official Strictly Come Dancing Instagram page revealed the sad news of Dani’s exit as they captioned it: “Unfortunately due to an injury Dani Dyer is no longer able to compete in #Strictly 2025. She’ll be sorely missed and we wish her a speedy recovery.”
Dani said: “I had a fall on Friday in rehearsals and landed funny. I thought I had rolled my foot but it swelled up so badly over the weekend and after an MRI scan yesterday, it turns out I have fractured my ankle.
READ MORE: Pete Wicks makes sweet promise to Vicky Pattison ahead of first Strictly Come Dancing live showREAD MORE: BBC Strictly Come Dancing stars ‘furious’ over Amber Davies’ ‘unfair advantage’
“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.”
Following the news, Sarah James, Executive Producer, 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.”
Dani’s professional dance partner Nikita Kuzmin took to his own Instagram to share how “gutted” he was to not perform with her on a live show. He penned: “So so gutted to have finished our journey before it even properly started.
“The amount of laughs and fun we had in this short time was unbelievable! Really loved our partnership and hope that one day we can actually get to week 1 lol but, health is the most important thing,” Nikita wrote, after posting a series of pictures and videos of the two of them in rehearsals and at the launch show.
He added that he was wishing her the best and that it “breaks my heart” knowing she was incredibly excited for the show. “Hopefully we can pick up next year,” he finished.
Dani responded that the message made her cry. In the comments of Nikita’s post, she said: “I’m crying again. Thank you for being the best teacher ever… you are the kindest most amazing person. Going to miss our laughs & dancing with you… let’s try again one day and sort our team name.”
The BBC confirmed fellow Love Island star and West End performer Amber Davies would be replacing Dani and dancing with Nikita.
Ahead of making her Strictly debut on tonight’s show, Amber shared: “This has been the craziest 24 hours of my life. I’ve watched Strictly with my family since I was younger and to now be part of the show is a dream come true. I’m going to give it my all and I am sending Dani well wishes for a speedy recovery. I hope I do her proud.”