Category Entertainment News

Strictly Come Dancing star Kristian Nairn has quit the BBC show just a week into training – as sources now reveal to us why he decided to leave the programme

Kristian Nairn’s real reason for quitting Strictly Come Dancing has been revealed after it was announced today that the actor and DJ had quit due to “unexpected medical reasons”.

The Game of Thrones actor and DJ was confirmed today to not be taking on the Latin and ballroom competition for an undisclosed health complaint. Kristian will be replaced by another celebrity, due to be announced later today.

He said in a statement: “With a heavy heart, I have to step back from this season of Strictly Come Dancing due to unexpected medical reasons. I was truly looking forward to the journey, and I’m deeply sorry to disappoint anyone who was looking forward to seeing me on the dance floor. Thank you all for your support, and I will be back on my feet very soon, in every sense. Love to all, Kristian.”

Sarah James, Executive Producer, BBC Studios, added in a statement: “We’ve absolutely loved getting to know Kristian in this short time, and he has all the makings of a brilliant Strictly Come Dancing contestant. We’re incredibly sorry to lose him from this year’s series and we all wish him a speedy recovery.”

Now, a source has revealed to The Mirror just why Kristian had quit the competition so early into training. A BBC source told us: “Kristian sadly just wasn’t up to competing on Strictly and so he had to pull out.

“The celebrities have not been paired up yet but he had a couple sessions doing the group number and they were a real shock to the system. I think by his own admission he found them a struggle and may have been surprised how much of a challenge it was physically for him. He wasn’t feeling great and the best option for everyone was for him to leave the show at this stage. It has been a bit of a scramble but we have got a replacement.”

When he was announced for the show, Kristian said he was excited for the physical challenge. He said: This will be a huge challenge for me physically, but I’m ready to rise to it! It’s a surreal and wonderful opportunity to shed one of my left feet!”

The new celebrity joining Strictly Come Dancing will be announced on Thursday’s (21.08.25) episode of The One Show. Strictly will return in just a few weeks time – with the celebrities and their professional dance partners being announced in a special launch show.

Actress Kirsten Dunst has revealed that for years, people have been mispronouncing her name, even to her face, as she revealed how it should be said

Kirsten Dunst’s name has been mispronounced for years, she has revealed. The actress said the mispronunciation has been going on throughout her entire career, as she revealed how people should really say it.

The American-German star, 43, has said that people in the United Kingdom have been the worst at saying her name incorrectly since she made her acting debut in the movie New York Stories. However, despite people getting her name wrong, Kirsten admits she doesn’t blame people too much.

Over the years, she’s had people pronounce her name as Criss-ten, Ker-stin and Keer-sten. But while she may have appeared annoyed about it, she says it’s “fine” and doesn’t really care whether people get it right or not.

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In a new interview, she has revealed how to properly say her name. “I mean, everyone messes up my name, so I give up,” she said. Kirsten went on to add: “I don’t care… I don’t blame people. Like in England, they don’t really say my name right.”

Speaking to Town and Country Magazine, Kirsten said: “The last set, everyone was saying my name wrong. There was like Swedish people and people from Hungary. You just give up.” Revealing how to say her name properly, she said it is pronounced Keer-sten, before adding: “Again, who cares? It’s fine.”

In the same interview, the Civil War actress revealed one of her sons had a serious health scare while she was filming her latest film in Budapest.

The 43-year-old actress and her husband Jesse Plemons had initially rented a house in the city with their sons Ennis, seven, and James, four, while she was filming The Entertainment System Is Down, but their plans had to change when their youngest boy fell very ill.

While Kirsten declined to share any details but stressed everyone is fine now, Jesse, 37, and the boys returned to Los Angeles, leaving the Virgin Suicides star alone in Budapest for months, a situation she compared to the movie Final Destination.

She explained to Town and Country magazine: “Where you’re imagining all the things that could go wrong, worst case scenarios happening to your child. I have never seen that movie. But I know the concept. That’s how it feels to be a mother at times.”

Despite the stressful time for them all, Kristen admitted James’ health issues “brought us together as a family in such a deeper way.” And soon, the family are heading for the Bahamas after promising to take their sons on vacation “anywhere James wanted to go.” The youngster told his parents: “I want to go to a beach where my sandcastle won’t wash away.”

The Power of the Dog actress can next be seen in Roofman, and though she is delighted with the movie, she couldn’t help but check her phone during one screening as she wanted to keep an eye on her family. She admitted: “I wanted to make sure everything was okay.”

Despite her years of Hollywood success, Kirsten insisted her life isn’t as glamorous as people might think. She laughed: “I drive a Volvo with two car seats in the back. It’s our adult car. [Jesse drives] his family’s old Lexus – with no car seats.”

Kirsten previously admitted she rarely gets any time to herself as a result of having two young children. She told People magazine: “When everyone is asleep, and I can watch the shows I want like The Bachelor. But honestly not even a shower is sacred at this point. Nothing is.”

The Virgin Suicides star added when asked to describe her last “perfect” day off: “When you have two kids, you never have a day off. Right now it’s being on a plane with no Wi-Fi. And people bring you food. That feels like a spa day for a mom.”

Game of Thrones actor Kristian Nairn admitted that taking part in Strictly Come Dancing would have been a “huge challenge physically” just days before he quit the hit BBC show

Game of Thrones star Kristian Nairn has pulled out of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing “due to unexpected medical reasons”. The 49-year-old says he was “truly looking forward” to taking part in the competition.

The actor, best known for his role as Hodor, now says he hopes to be “back on his feet very soon”. He had previously said taking part in the show would be a “huge challenge for me physically”.

It comes after the star has been open with a number of health issues he has faced over the years. Kristian claimed that his six seasons on Game of Thrones left him with a back problem.

Hodor would often be seen on screen carrying disabled Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) around on his back. He says he was left with a pelvic tilt that required six months of physiotherapy to rectify.

Speaking on the Inside of You podcast with Michael Rosenbaum, Kristian explained: “I do have a back problem, but that came from working on ‘Game Of Thrones. All that carrying…”

He explained that Isaac grew too big to carry as the series progressed. By season six he says they decided to replace his co-star with “a small lady named Samantha”.

Kristian was eventually replaced by a body-double – a 7ft-tall wrestler named Brian. When asked if had considered taking legal action against HBO, he replied: “It’s not something I want to go down, the show’s done so much for me.

“That’s such an American point of view! We don’t sue people back home for that.”

Before finding fame on Game of Thrones, Kristian worked as a house music DJ and admits he was addicted to cocaine. He admits he once “hoofed half a kilo” up his nose in one night.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph , he said: “Until the age of 28 I’ve never taken drugs. I’ve never even smoked a spliff, never had the inclination. But cocaine is different. I love cocaine. Whether or not I like it is a different question: it gives me mad heart palpitations and white-knuckle anxiety.”

He admits his drug taking meant he “nearly died” after moving from cocaine to ketamine. He says he stumbled onto the drug “by accident” after taking a “white powder” at a party.

He added: “I did the thing that most cokeheads do at some point. I moved on to ketamine. It wasn’t intentional — purely accidental, in fact. I was searching through the house for something — anything — to snort when I found a bag of white powder. As cocaine and ketamine look identical, I worked my way through it and very nearly died.”

Kristian revealed he “lay in bed” with his heart racing and “gasping for breath”. When he finally came around hours later he says he found three handwritten letters apologising and saying it would have been an accident if he died.

Kristian was announced as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing on Friday, August 15. However BBC bosses will now announce his replacement on The One Show at 7pm this evening.

Announcing his exit from the show, he said: “With a heavy heart, I have to step back from this season of Strictly Come Dancing due to unexpected medical reasons.

While social media is full of different viral makeup trends, one trend that’s left people puzzled is the ‘ tired girl ‘ trend that makes you purposely look shattered

There are always so many different makeup trends going around, from ‘Clean girl’ to “Strawberry girl” and even “glass skin” it’s hard to keep up – but the latest trend has people questioning everything.

While following trends can be great for makeup and product inspiration, the latest tired girl trend may be a look you’re already nailing. There’s nothing wrong with aspiring to get that clean girl look, rich girl aesthetic or boho messy yet sexy vibe, but the tired girl trend seems a little far fetched.

The looks, as seen online, consists of faux dark circles with a red pigment under the eyes, mascara, foundation, concealer and sometimes fake lashes – which definitely aren’t something you’d think to apply if you really were tired.

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The trend has become a TikTok category of its own, with makeup tutorials amassing over 300, 000 views and stars such as Lily Rose-Depp, Gabbriette, and Emma Chamberlain have adopted the style. Influencer Lara Violetta claimed: “Eye bags are so chic because you actually have to work for them”.

Perhaps The Tired Girl look is best exemplified by Jenna Ortega’s makeup in the Netflix series Wednesday, featuring lightly smudged eyes framed by dark shadows that accentuate or imitate undereye bags. TikToker @nerulera showcases a whopping 12-step routine to achieve “tired girl makeup” and calls it “tired seduction” and honestly, it’s really not the beauty beat to be doing if you truly did have a lack of sleep.

Is it just a way of glamourizing a burnout? We’re all knackered we know that, and reports of Gen Z burnout is real. More than half of young women in the UK have experienced burnout, with the country facing higher levels of the problem than anywhere else in Europe, new data has revealed.

In the UK, 56% of women between the ages of 18 to 24 said they have experienced burnout, according to the STADA Health Report 2025. Meanwhile, 44% of those aged 35 to 44 also said they had suffered from it.

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As opposed to a slick back bun, minimal makeup and a touch of blush to enhance your cheeks with the viral clean girl aesthetic, this “tired girl” trend, on the other hand embraces eyebags and other so-called imperfections. TikTokers took to Nerulera’s video to share their thoughts.

One person quipped: “This is what my makeup always looks like because my dark circles can’t be covered no matter how much concealer”, and another chimed: “That’s literally my makeup routine but I always look tired so I don’t need to add eye shadow”.

While others are liking the trend and expressing relief that their exhausted look was being normalised. One person chimed: “The look of the university student has become fashionable”, and another said: “I’ve been trying to make this trend happen for years, but I was the only one participating”.

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