According to insiders, the regulations will be changed to allow a newcomer to participate fairly in the show.
With two days to go until Strictly Come Dancing’s first live show, BBC bosses are pulling out all the stops to find a replacement for poor Dani Dyer, who was forced to quit after breaking her ankle. But insiders are saying that if there is a celebrity out there who is happy to take the plunge – they will not be taking part in this week’s launch show.
One source told me, “It just wouldn’t be fair.” That wouldn’t give me enough time to learn the procedures, so any replacement signings would begin the week after that.
Of course, they are super keen to get the celebrity numbers back up to 15, because anything less than that makes the numbers all wrong for the final. In an ideal world, there are four couples competing in the final. There have been years with just three, and a particularly tricky one with just two, in 2021. This happened after Robert Webb was ruled out by a doctor after three weeks because of his heart condition – meaning there would be just three in the final – and then AJ Odudu injured her ankle a few days before the final and had to quit (tearfully).
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Producers are therefore desperate to keep as many stars on the floor as possible because they are aware that some may experience health issues at some point. In 2025, they have already experienced more than their fair share of bad luck, with Dani breaking her ankle during training a week prior and Game of Thrones actor Kristian Nairn withdrawing due to “stress and grief” in August. Before even one live dance step was performed.
Whoever is chosen will likely have a full week of rehearsals before dancing in front of an audience in week two, in front of an audience, in the studio. Why does it take so long to announce Dani’s replacement? Contrary to popular belief, celebrities are not just waiting for the call to be made.
Those who join late, as Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope has already done as Kristian’s replacement, are celebs who have had conversations previously about taking part, but haven’t been signed up this year for one reason or another. Now they need to be persuaded that 2025 actually IS the best time for them to get with the sequins after all, and some might be understandably nervous to have missed out on the early training that the rest of the group has had.
According to one source, “Those conversations must take place to determine whether people are still available for other work.” They must then “get their head around it.”
In previous years, latecomers have proved that they are not at an automatic disadvantage – no way! You only have to look at soap star Kelvin Fletcher, who was drafted in to replace crocked Jamie Laing, to see that if you’re good, you’re good, and a few days of extra training either way isn’t going to change that. He went on to win, and that could also happen for the incoming mystery person!
Before the weekend is over, my money is on the 15th celebrity to be announced.
Source: Mirror
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