Series 23 of ‘Strictly Come Dancing‘ has suffered an unfortunate casualty, as actor Stefan Dennis has been forced to withdraw from the show due to an injury. The Australian ‘Neighbours’ star, 66, revealed his sad news in a statement on social media.
Dennis had been forced to miss movie week in week 3 of the series due to illness, but had made a comeback in last weekend’s week 4. Alongside his professional partner — fellow Australian Dianne Buswell, 36 — Dennis performed a Charleston to Tones and I’s ‘Dance Monkey.’ The dance scored the couple 26 out of 40, placing them joint 10th out of 13 couples on the leaderboard. They had been voted safely through to week 5 by the public.
‘Devastated’ Dennis Has Suffered a Torn Calf
In the statement, posted to the official ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ Instagram page, Dennis explained the situation.
The actor began by saying, “This morning I woke up to the most disappointing day of my time in my Strictly journey.”
He continued: “Just when I had finally gained the confidence to do well with my dancing in the competition and achieve more great dances along the way, I was told that on Saturday I had torn my calf so significantly that I am now forced to withdraw from the show.”
A second page on the post read, “I can’t tell you how devastated I am to have to leave so prematurely especially, as there has been, and still is, so much love and support from everyone for both Dianne and myself.”
It went on, saying, “I owe both the Strictly Family and Dianne a massive debt of gratitude for giving me the opportunity to fulfil my dream of being able to dance with my wife. (When my leg is better)”
The statement ended with a note saying, “Fun fact for all the avid Neighbours fans… it’s the same leg! 😂” For those not in the know, that’s a reference to the fact his character on Neighbours, Paul Robinson, had his leg amputated after an accident.
The post was captioned, “Sadly due to an injury Stefan Dennis is leaving #Strictly. We have loved watching Stefan and Dianne create magic on the dance floor with their Team Aussie energy. He will be sorely missed by the entire #Strictly family. ❤️”
‘Strictly Come Dancing’ Fans and Dancers Rallied to Support Dennis
The comments on Dennis’ statement were filled with support. ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ fans and his fellow dancers chimed in.
Dennis’ partner, Dianne Buswell, wrote, “Thanks for being the best partner to both of us👶 we love ya stefo ❤️” — the “both of us” being a reference to the fact that Buswell is currently pregnant with a baby boy.
Other professional dancers on the show also commented. Amy Dowden wrote, “So gutted for you both. Sending all my love and well wishes xxxx.’ Karen Hauer said, “Oh no 😢 so sad. Sending all the love and get well soon ❤️.”
One of the show’s hosts, Claudia Winkleman, simply commented, “❤️❤️❤️.”
A fan of the show said, “Gutted for you both loved watching you dance have watched you in neighbours from the start I’m a big fan and voted for you every week hope you get better soon ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️.”
Another wrote, “I’m gutted. Was thoroughly enjoying watching Stefan and Dianne together so much fun. Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!”
Someone else commented, “This is sad. I wish him a speedy recovery. Hope he feels better soon. Gutted also for Dianne. Massive love and hugs. ☺️🧡.”
We wish Stefan Dennis all the best for the future and hope he recovers soon.
‘Strictly Come Dancing’ continues this week on Saturday, October 25, at 6:20 p.m. GMT on BBC One.
