“Strictly Come Dancing” star Balvinder Sopal has suffered an injury during rehearsals ahead of Saturday’s series 23 premiere.
The actress, who plays matriarch Suki Panesar on the popular British soap opera “EastEnders,” was rushed to see medics when “something popped” as she was practicing her routine for the group dance in the opening show.
Sopal, who doesn’t yet know which professional dancer she will partner up with for the United Kingdom’s counterpart to “Dancing with the Stars,” took to her Instagram stories to post a video giving her fans an update on what happened and how she’s feeling now.
Balvinder Sopal Says ‘Everything Is Okay’ After Her Injury Scare
Addressing her 74,000 followers, Sopal said, “So it’s the second day of training and I’m at physio. Something popped and I’m here to find out what exactly.”
Fortunately, Sopal went on to reveal she’s okay and was largely seeing a professional as a precaution. She continued, “I’m fine, everything is okay. I can still walk and still move but my left glute, my left hip is feeling a little tight and uneasy, so I’m going to get someone to look at it.”
The actress then went on to speak highly of her “Strictly Come Dancing” experience up to that point, saying, “I can’t tell you, this is the hardest I think I’ve ever worked. The pros are incredible, superhuman, literal gods honestly. The way they move, the way they teach you it’s just brilliant and I’m loving every single second of it. But I’m just going to get checked out by the physio. I hope they go easy on me. But yeah, second day training.”
Sopal recently told The Sun that, while she’s spoken to her fellow “Eastenders” cast members who’ve appeared on “Strictly Come Dancing,” she isn’t thinking about how they performed and is fully focused on her own journey on the show. She said, “We’ve had brilliant people come on the show, absolutely. But I’m not thinking about anybody else’s shoes but my own. You can get some advice though. And I have done and they’ve been really supportive and wonderful.”
That advice, which she has taken from the likes of co-stars Emma Barton, Scott Maslen, and Jamie Borthwick, includes “drink lots of water, have your vitamins, magnesium, sleep, rest when you can. So yeah, just enjoy it.” Both Sopal and her many fans will be hoping that advice will help to keep her fit and healthy for the remainder of her time in the popular dance competition, however long that may be.
Sopal Confirms She Is Now ‘Alllll Good’
GettyIn a further update the day after her injury occurred, Sopal posted a picture on her Instagram stories with confirmation that all is well after the minor issue, and that the only effect she’s feeling is a little tightness.
Sopal added some text to the image, writing, “Day three training done! Hip/glute alllll good — just tight. Thank you for all your messages of love and support. We kept dancing ❤️”
Balvinder Sopal and the rest of the “Strictly Come Dancing” class of 2025 — including the likes of drag queen and “RuPaul’s Drag Race UK” finalist La Voix, and the hugely inspiring Down’s syndrome model and actress Ellie Goldstein — will dance in front of millions for the first time when series 23 kicks off with its launch episode on BBC One on Saturday, September 20, at 6:40 p.m. GMT.
