After Dani Dyer’s shock withdrawal from BBC series Strictly Come Dancing, what does this mean for the show?
The TV personality, 29, appeared in the pre-recorded launch show on Saturday, where she was paired up with professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin.
Unfortunately, after a nasty fall during a rehearsal last Friday, the Love Island star sustained a major injury, which means she will no longer be competing in this year’s competition.
It’s another blow for the reality competition series after a rocky start filled with last-minute withdrawals and controversial contestants.
What happened to Dani on Strictly?
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In a statement released on Wednesday, Dani said: ‘I had a fall on Friday in rehearsals and landed funny.’
She continued: ‘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.’
Meanwhile, Sarah James, Executive Producer for BBC Studios, shared that’everyone on the show is incredibly sad that she’s no longer able to compete in this year’s series.’
There’s no doubt that fans have been mourning her exit, with many already expecting her to be a frontrunner before long.
It is not the first time the show has had to navigate a withdrawal. Before the show started, Game of Thrones star Kristian Nairn was set to take to the dance floor.
Unfortunately, the DJ announced he had to withdraw due to medical reasons, and the show was able to replace him with Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope, who is paired with Katya Jones.
Who could replace Dani?
When it comes to replacements when the show has already started, Strictly also has precedence for this.
In 2019, Jamie Laing was forced to withdraw after suffering a foot injury in rehearsals between the launch and first live show – much like Dani.
Eventually, he was replaced by Emmerdale’s Kelvin Fletcher, who went on to win the series. Although even then, Dani’s withdrawal comes just three days before the first live show, which is cutting it extremely fine.
There’s no word yet from the BBC whether she will be replaced or the show will go on without, but people are already sharing who they would like to see up there.
Naturally, the vast majority are rooting for Dani’s dad, EastEnders icon Danny, to step in, with the TV dad already sharing a heartbroken emoji on social media in solidarity with his daughter.
‘Wonder if this is somewhere in the script and Danny Dyer will now step in as her replacement,’ socialmediajone1 wrote on X.
‘Danny Dyer, it’s time to stand up for your daughter to compete in this year’s Strictly,’ Emarik shared.
‘I’m sad that Dani Dyer has had to drop out of Strictly because of injury, she was one of my favourites. An obvious replacement would be Danny Dyer, still partnered with Nikita of course!!’ Carolune Daly echoed.
This doesn’t look likely, with Danny previously saying he ‘gets offered to do Strictly every year, and it’s not for me. I’ve got no desire to be mincing around in sequins’.
Recently asked if he would ever be persuaded, Dani added: ‘I don’t know. You can never say never.’
There are a couple of other names in the mix, however.
One X user, rahhead01 sahred that TV personality Narinder Kaur should ‘be on as her replacement’, calling for a ‘petition’ to be started.
Narinder replied, saying: ‘Ahh that’s so kind! Thank you but won’t happen xx’ so that option also seems out for the count.
Another user, brattybarbl, pointed to rumours earlier this year that actress Martine McCutcheon was keen to join the series, after previously reportedly rejecting the offer in 2017 due to ill health.
A source told Closer at the time: ‘BBC execs think she’d be hugely popular and would be a massive success on the show. Martine can sing and dance and loves performing. She loved her time on The Masked Singer, so Strictly is perfect for her.
‘She hopes the show will open up new opportunities and more work, as she looks to rebuild her career and her life.’
Last but not least, there is the very real possibility that no one will step in as her replacement, with the BBC not replacing those who withdraw halfway through the series, per The Mirror.
Could Dani come back for the next series?
There’s a very real possibility that Dani will be back in 2026.
After withdrawing in 2019, Jamie returned the following year with pro-partner Karen Hauer and made it all the way to the final.
Considering how excited Dani was about the prospect of being on the show, it would be no surprise.
She had previously told Metro: ‘I can’t wait to feel a bit sexy. ‘I’ve been a mum for like, my oldest is four now, I’m like, am I sexy? When I was on Love Island, I never wore the thong bikinis. I’m like, “Why didn’t I do that?”‘
Meanwhile, in her statement, James wrote: ‘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.’
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