"We wish Nigel a speedy recovery"
Strictly Come Dancing contestant Nigel Harman has pulled out of the 2023 series of the reality show, with just a few hours to go until tonight's (December 2) live quarter-final.
Casualty star Nigel, who was paired with professional dancer Katya Jones, will not be able to compete tonight and has left the competition due to an injury, it's been confirmed.
"Unfortunately Nigel has sustained an injury which means he will be unable to perform in tonight's show and has had to withdraw from Strictly," a statement shared on the BBC show's social media accounts confirmed.
A caption on the official Strictly account's Instagram post added: "Unfortunately, Nigel Harman and Katya Jones have had to withdraw from the competition.
"We wish Nigel a speedy recovery and they both will be very much missed by our entire Strictly family."
For Musicals Week, which has become a Strictly tradition around the quarter-finals stage in recent years, Katya and Nigel had been due to perform a Charleston to 'Step in Time' from Mary Poppins.
It's currently unclear whether this week's elimination will take place as planned, with only five pairings now left in the competition.
The duo appeared on Strictly's spin-off show It Takes Two only last night (Friday, December 1), to reflect on last week's rumba.
Katya said she felt "relief and joy and happiness" at making the quarter-finals with Nigel.
Nigel added: "It's brilliant for her, it's brilliant for us, it's Musicals Week as well, which is, y'know, for me is a great week – I love musicals. We feel just kind of really grateful to be here, really."
On escaping the dance-off after finishing second from bottom of the leaderboard last week, the former EastEnders star said: "That's two weeks in a row that you've been kind enough to save us!
"It's been kind of a bit overwhelming... that people are sitting there voting for us – because it's something that we don't get to see. So it's amazing to think [of it].
"But the leaderboard is so condensed, and there are so few of us – someone has to be at the bottom. So we don't mind!"
Teasing their planned Charleston routine prior to his injury, Nigel added: "We've got this banger this week.
"It's full-on showbiz, we've got four backing dancers, we've got all split levels, there's leaps and there's carries and we're flying around – I end up needing oxygen every time we do it!
"So it is full on. But it's exciting, isn't it?"
