Buswells

Stefan Dennis has been forced to quit Strictly Come Dancing after suffering an injury, with the Neighbours legend’s exit confirmed in a statement on Monday

Neighbours legend Stefan Dennis has quit the current series of Strictly Come Dancing following an injury.

The star, who portrayed Paul Robinson in the Australian soap, had been partnered with fellow Aussie and reigning Strictly champion Dianne Buswell for the 2025 series.

However, during a breaking news segment on spin-off programme It Takes Two on Monday, it was announced that Stefan would no longer be taking part in the competition.

The revelation was also posted on the official Strictly Instagram page, where Stefan revealed: “This Morning, I woke up to the most disappointing day of my time in my Strictly journey.

“Just when I had finally gained the confidence to do well with my dancing in the comp 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,” reports Wales Online.

He added: “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.

“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). Fun face for all the avid Neighbours fans… It’s the same leg!”

Pregnant professional dancer Dianne, who claimed victory in last year’s series alongside comedian Chris McCausland, also uploaded a tribute to Stefan on her Instagram profile. She said: “stefo I’m so sorry our strictly journey was cut short just as that confidence was starting to grow. But you can walk away with your head held high. You can go home to your wonderful wife put your hand out and say would you like to cha cha cha with me.

“the main reason for being on this show was to be able to dance with her and you can certainly do that now. You are the kindest human I have ever worked with and I can always say I got to dance with the iconic neighbours legend Stefan Dennis or as my dad calls ya Paul Robertson.”

Fellow professionals and viewers were left gutted by the announcement.

Welsh professional dancer Amy Dowden said: “So gutted for you both. Sending all my love and well wishes xxxx”.

One viewer said: “I’m devastated for you both but thank you for all the joy you’ve given to us!!”

A second said: “Absolutely gutted for you both but you should be so proud of all you achieved on your short but ever so sweet journey, I hope he recovers well sending all the well wishes and love his way.”

And another added: “Gutted for you both as it was clear you were just getting started.”

The announcement follows Stefan’s most triumphant performance on Strictly when he bagged a score of 26 out of 40 from the panel last Saturday.

Strictly Come Dancing is on BBC One and BBC iPlayer

Chris McCausland won the 2024 series of Strictly Come Dancing with professional partner Dianne Buswell, but the pair faced a number of challenges during their time on the show

Comedian Chris McCausland‘s triumph on last year’s Strictly Come Dancing came despite numerous obstacles – but not all of them were related to the Liverpool-born comedian’s retinitis pigmentosa, which robbed him of his sight almost entirely in his early twenties.

Indeed, he reveals, even if he’d retained his vision, he might have lost it regardless during rehearsal sessions for the programme.

While Chris and professional dance partner Dianne Buswell were rehearsing their Samba for Halloween Week, the Australian professional dancer, who is expecting her first child with boyfriend Joe Sugg, kicked backwards a touch too vigorously.

Chris remembers that the dancer “caught me so hard in the face that I almost threw up and had to lie down for twenty minutes to recover”.

In his new autobiography, Keep Laughing, he continues: “I took the entire impact of her flying foot right on one eyeball. It’s honestly a good job they didn’t work already or I would have been doing that dance half blind anyway and Strictly would have had an insurance payout like no other.”

But the biggest challenge to the dancing pair wasn’t Chris’ condition, but Dianne’s.

Their apparently effortless Week Eight Couple’s Choice routine to John Lennon’s 1970 classic Instant Karma masked a hidden crisis.

The dramatic performance featured a sudden blackout which, Chris reveals, was intended to transport the studio audience and BBC viewers into his world of darkness. It was an extraordinary television moment, and both the programme’s judges and fans had an enormous emotional reaction.

However, what nobody else realised was that Dianne had been genuinely struggling in the lead-up to the live programme.

Chris revealed: “The only downside to this dance for us was that Dianne had been really ill all day, so we hadn’t been able to enjoy it as much as we would have liked.”

Dianna had been battling a stomach bug, and Chris quipped that the daring moment when the stage lights returned after the blackout to show him spinning rapidly with Dianne draped across his shoulders could have had some very nasty outcomes.

He penned: “She had been unable to keep anything down and had spent a lot of that day in or near a toilet, so we were just grateful that it was only the pyrotechnics that went off, or that fast spin out of the darkness could have been a very different surprise!”.

The routine earned thunderous applause from the crowd and a score of 33 out of a potential 40 points from the judging panel – Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke.

Craig declared the “poignant blackout moment” was “absolutely spectacular” whilst head judge Shirley became tearful and, as she composed herself, told Chris: “You come out every week with your heart on your sleeve, and you give us 100%.”

He revealed that if medical science were to find a cure for his blindness one day, he would first look up some video clips from his time on Strictly: “I’ll certainly have to sit down with Dianne, to watch our dances and actually see what we were able to accomplish each week.”

Strictly Come Dancing reigning champions Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell were back on the hit show for the launch of the 2025 season where a new batch of celebs are out for glitterball glory

Strictly Come Dancing has returned to TV for the 2025 season with sequins, glamour – and a moving performance from reigning champion Chris McCausland. The 48-year-old won the 2024 season with professional dancer Dianne Buswell.

And fans were thrilled to see them back together on the Strictly ballroom dance floor. The champion duo took to the stage to perform their Bafta award-winning waltz, You’ll Never Walk Alone – which won the public-voted Bafta TV memorable moment award earlier this year.

Fans’ breath was taken away as Chris and Dianne, 36 – who recently revealed she is expecting her first baby with boyfriend Joe Sugg, 34 – expertly moved around the stage. Many took to social media to share their joy at seeing the pair dancing on screen again.

READ MORE: Strictly Come Dancing’s youngest-ever contestant teases ‘all stars comeback’READ MORE: Strictly Come Dancing’s best love stories as Pete Wicks and Jowita confirm romance

One X user wrote: “chris and dianne are back one last time!!! fave strictly champs ever!” And being a Liverpool fan, some were moved by the dance which was affiliated with the city.

A fan wrote: “You’ll Never Walk Alone will always have a special place in my heart. Liverpool fan here whyy I’m gonna be a mess!!” Another remarked: “Missing them like theyre family.”

Other fans were left in tears once the pair performed their touching dance.. One wrote on X: “Oh god-I’m gone at Chris and Dianne’s Waltz to You’ll Never Walk Alone.” And another wrote: “Chris and Di” along with a string of crying face emojis. After dancing, Dianne applauded Chris and declared: “That was beautiful” as they stepped to the side of the stage to chat with host Tess Daly.

Last December, Chris and Dianne were voted winners of the 2024 season – with fans left in awe of Chris’s dance moves. The comedian – who is blind – gave a tearful acceptance speech at the time.

He said: “This is for [Buswell] and it’s for everyone out there that got told they couldn’t do something or thought they couldn’t do something … and it just shows that with opportunity and support and determination, anything can happen.”

Saturday saw the launch of the 23rd season of Strictly – which has been on the air since 2004. The latest batch of stars hoping to win the glitterball trophy include Love Island star Dani Dyer, former Geordie Shore cast member Vicky Pattison, and past The Apprentice contestant Thomas Skinner.

Meanwhile, Dianne and her boyfriend Joe – who fell for each other after performing on Strictly back in 2018 – revealed they will be welcoming a baby together next year. A video clip shared on social media last week showed the couple creating a painting together.

When they turned their canvas around, the image showed three stick figures – a man, woman and baby – and the simple heading: “2026”.

In an accompanying caption to the video, they wrote: “Our little baby boy … we cannot wait to meet you” along with a red heart emoji. Fans, followers, and fellow Strictly alumni were quick to comment on the news and share in the excitement.

Stacey Dooley, who won Strictly in 2018 where she fell for dance professional Kevin Clifton with whom she shares a two-year-old daughter, wrote: “YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES.”

Helen Skelton, who competed on Strictly in 2022, wrote: “Huge congratulations” alongside a string of red heart emojis.

And pop singer Conor Maynard, who is a close friend of the couple, wrote: “Let me know when he’s old enough for a new “Singing Impressions” video. Or even a sing off. The views have been drying up lately.”

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