Those who were expecting to see Dani Dyer take part in Strictly Come Dancing’s first live show of the new series may have been surprised by her absence.
News broke days before the hit BBC One show’s return on Saturday night (September 27) that the former Love Island winner had be forced to quit the competition.
It was revealed that Dani had been advised to withdraw from the show, having been seen taking part in the pre-recorded launch show last weekend where she was paired with dancer Nikita Kuzmin, after she “landed funny” during a fall in a training session for her first live performance.
Having monitored the situation, it’s been confirmed that she’s suffered a break in her ankle and therefore she’ll no longer be able to perform.
Dani said in a statement: “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.”
Despite this, Dani still intends to watch this year’s Strictly and will be cheering on the other couples instead.
The mum-of-three, who is the daughter of actor Danny Dyer and married to West Ham footballe Jarrod Bowen, said: “I am so going to miss dancing with Nikita but will of course be watching closely and cheering all the couples on.”
Strictly Come Dancing bosses then announced on Friday (September 26) that Amber Davies, who also won Love Island, will be dancing with Nikita in place of Dani.
Amber is a Welsh actor, podcaster, TV personality, and West End star. She first rose to fame when she was voted the winner of Love Island in 2017.
Since then she has pursued a professional acting career, with lead roles in theatre productions including Pretty Woman, 9 to 5: The Musical, and The Great Gatsby.
On television she presented the documentary Amber and Dolly: 9 to 5, which saw Amber fly to Nashville to meet and interview Dolly Parton. Amber hosts her own podcast series, Call To Stage, where she interviews stars from the world of theatre.
Amber also acted in the CBBC television drama series Almost Never, and competed in the sixteenth series of Dancing on Ice last year.
In a statement, Amber said: “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.”
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