Dyer

Vicky Pattison has ‘confirmed’ the first star of next year’s Strictly Come Dancing as she revealed she will be in the front row every week to watch close pal Dani Dyer ‘smash it’

Strictly‘s Vicky Pattison appears to have confirmed the first contestant of next year’s series as she stated her friend Dani Dyer will return to the dance floor, after she had to pull out of the competition last minute due to an injury.

Dani, 29, and Vicky struck a close friendship during their training for the BBC dance show and have publicly supported each other online. Dani, who was initially paired with show pro Nikita Kuzmin, 27, was left gutted after she had to suddenly leave the show and her friends, just days before her first dance.

While she is unable to dance, she showed up on Saturday evening to support her fellow stars and praised Vicky on her routine to Fight for This Love by Cheryl for Icons Week.

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Dani shared a series of images on her Instagram, including a sweet snap cuddling an emotional Vicky. She wrote in the caption: “So happy I got to watch @bbcstrictly last night.. missed you all and so proud. And my beautiful @vickypattison just love you so much and watching you live was just PERFECT!! love you all loads.”

Vicky was quick to comment back and appeared to confirm that Dani will be on next year’s series. She wrote: “I love you so much mate, my girl!!! I will be front row every week next year watching you SMASH IT”. Vicky also reposted the image to her stories, where she repeated that she ‘can’t wait’ to watch Dani next year.

It came after Vicky’s emotions poured out before her latest performance, as she reflected on the person she used to be and who she is now, before transforming into Cheryl Tweedy for an impressive routine.

As the pre-dance video rolled, Vicky said: “I first started out in this industry at about 21 and I made some bad decisions. I just don’t think at that age I had the tools to navigate that space I was in. Now I do my best to be a better version of myself – someone I can look in the mirror and feel alright about.” She went on: “What I’ve learnt about myself is that with determination and a little bit of self-belief, you can achieve stuff.”

As she opened up on her song choice for the week, Fight for this Love by the Girls Aloud star, Vicky added: “Apart from being a banger is a very important song to me. The whole idea that the comeback is greater than the setback.

“You can have the life you want. You can change the narrative. You can be who you want to be, not letting the past define you. I think that’s really powerful. I worked on myself and now I’m here in a place that makes us really happy and I’m finally becoming a woman I’m proud of.”

Following the performance, which racked up a score of 33 from the judges, Cheryl congratulated her fellow Geordie before saying she was “honoured and humbled” to be her choice of icon.

Cheryl sweetly said: “I know you’ve got it in you because you’re a Geordie. So go on, get out there. Fight for your place, and I’m sending you loads of love. I’ll be rooting for you from home.”

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Dani Dyer has opened up on how she feels watching fellow Love Island alumni Amber Davies join the cast of Strictly Come Dancing in her place following injury

Dani Dyer has admitted she found the first live Strictly Come Dancing show hard to watch at the weekend. The former Love Island star, 29, had been excited to be a part of the hit BBC contest, but injury forced her to quit in the week running up to the series starting.

Now, while chatting with her dad Danny Dyer on their Live and Let Dyers podcast, the reality TV star admitted she would love to go back next series. “My door is open,” she confessed. “If they want their door to be open then I’ll walk through their door.”

And talking about Amber Davies replacing her, she admitted she feels she will be amazing with Nikita Guzman. “Watching the launch show, they’re all so lovely,” she said before her dad asked how she felt.

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“That was really hard,” she confessed. “Obviously seeing them, but obviously Amber’s come in and they’re going to be amazing together.

“I’m glad that Nikita’s actually got a partner because there was a chance he wouldn’t get a partner. It was just such a quick turnaround.”

She added: “Listen, I wish everyone the best, ” before confessing her love for Geordie Shore’s Vicky Pattison. “I’m so glad I met Vicky,” she gushed.

Dani also revealed during the chat that she felt she may have done something wrong in the world after injuring herself. It left her requiring the advice of her therapist for the first time since she met her husband Jarrod Bowen.

“He just put things into perspective for me,” she candidly revealed.

Speaking of how the injury occurred, dad Danny labelled it a “freak f***ing accident”. Dani then added: “Basically I fell and rolled my ankle and initially I heard a noise but I thought, ‘I think it’ll be fine’, but I came home on the weekend and iced it all, and they sent me for the MRI and it came back that there was a hairline fracture on my ankle, but it was my ligaments.”

“They said to me, the physio, if you have a grade one sprain, we can work with a grade one sprain, but one side of my ankle had a grade two sprain and the other side had a grade one.

“We went and got a second opinion, see the doctor, and I was like ‘What can we do? Physically do? Can you jab it, there’s got to be something’.”

But she admitted the Strictly bosses pulled the plug on her time, admitting they told her it wasn’t worth it. They explained she would be “in so much pain” if she was to continue.

Now, with Amber going in as one of the favourites, fans have been wondering if her call-up is fair due to her West End and dancing background.

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DANI Dyer has quit Strictly Come Dancing days before the live shows after injuring her ankle in training.

Dani’s exit dropped just as the cast was putting the final polish on their first live dances.

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She had taken part in the launch show — filmed ahead of transmission — where her partnership with Nikita was revealed to viewers.

The plan was to hit the floor this weekend, but the fracture means she won’t make it to that first Saturday night.

It’s a tough blow for Dani and for Nikita, who was ready to kick off the series with a crowd-pleasing ballroom number.

Here’s what happened and where things stand with a replacement.

Why has Dani Dyer pulled out of Strictly 2025?

Dani suffered a nasty ankle injury during rehearsals and has been forced to withdraw on medical advice.

She fell during a Friday training session, her foot ballooned over the weekend, and a hospital scan confirmed a fracture, leaving doctors with no choice but to bench her for the series.

The timing is brutal, coming just days before the first live show after she’d already filmed the pre-recorded launch where her pro partner was revealed.

In an emotional update to fans, Dani explained that continuing would risk exacerbating the injury.

She’d been gearing up for a fast ballroom routine in week one, but admitted taking to the floor with a fracture simply wasn’t possible.

The Love Island winner said she was gutted to walk away so close to the live shows after throwing herself into training.

What did Dani say about quitting?

The TV favourite struggled to hold back tears as she confirmed her exit, calling it “heartbreaking” to bow out before she’d had the chance to perform live.

She also thanked viewers for their support and said she’d be cheering the remaining couples on from the sofa while she focused on healing up.

Dani was particularly disappointed not to get her shot with pro partner Nikita Kuzmin after their pairing was unveiled on the launch show, saying she’d hoped to make her mark on the ballroom this year.

What has Nikita Kuzmin said — and could Dani return?

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Nikita broke his silence with a heartfelt message to fans and to Dani, praising her effort in the training room and saying he was proud of how hard she’d worked before the injury struck.

He admitted he was “gutted” to lose his celebrity partner so close to week one, and hinted he’d love the chance to dance with Dani in the future when she’s fit again.

In a further update, Nikita suggested the door isn’t closed on Dani appearing down the line in some capacity — whether that’s a studio visit later in the run or even a comeback in a future series once she’s fully recovered.

Is Dani Dyer being replaced?

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The BBC has confirmed Amber Davies is stepping into the Strictly 2025 line-up after Dani Dyer’s shock withdrawal with a fractured ankle.

Amber won Love Island in 2017 and has since established a successful stage career, starring in West End hits such as 9 to 5: The Musical and Pretty Woman: The Musical.

Thrown straight in at the deep end, Amber will make her Strictly debut in the first live show on Saturday, September 27.

She and Nikita are set to perform a Waltz as they bid to get their scores on the board and settle those first-night nerves.

What this means for week one

The live show will go ahead with a new name slotted into the line-up if producers can finalise the replacement in time.

The incoming celebrity will need to fast-track rehearsals to match the rest of the cast, and their debut dance is likely to be a classic ballroom routine that can be polished quickly in the studio.

Expect a supportive welcome from the judges and some leeway from viewers as the new pairing finds its footing under pressure.

When is Strictly 2025 on?

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The pre-recorded launch has already aired, revealing the celebrity-pro pairings and giving fans a first look at the glamour.

The live shows start this Saturday night on BBC One, with catch-up available on BBC iPlayer shortly after transmission.

Week one traditionally has no elimination, so viewers will get to see every couple — including the late replacement — take to the floor before the first vote opens the following week.

VICKY Pattison and Dani Dyer’s dad Danny have rallied around her after she was forced to quit Strictly Come Dancing due to injury.

Strictly contestant Vicky and actor Danny led the stars sharing messages of support on Instagram last night after the Love Islander broke the news of her exit.

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Mum-of-three Dani was due to perform in her first live show on Saturday night with professional partner Nikita Kuzmin, but said: “I had a fall on Friday in rehearsals and landed funny.

“I thought I had rolled my foot but it swelled up badly over the weekend and after an MRI scan yesterday, it turns out I have fractured my ankle.”

Dani, 29, continued: “Apparently doing the Quickstep on a fracture is not advisable and the doctors have said I am not allowed to dance, so I’ve had to pull out of the show.

“To say I’m heartbroken is the biggest understatement.

“I am so going to miss dancing with Nikita but will of course be watching closely and cheering all the couples on.”

Her dad left a broken-heart emoji beneath her post, and Vicky replied, saying: “Absolutely devastated for you Dani.

“I’m going to miss you so much… Love you loads x”

The ex-Geordie Shore star added a string of photos of them together in a separate post on her Instagram grid.

She revealed they formed a close bond during their time together on the show.

Vicky said: “I am absolutely gutted for you!! I have loved every minute of our little @bbcstrictly journey together and I’m devastated this is the end..

“But I know you’ll be back next year with your incredible energy, amazing dance skills and beautiful soul… AND YOU’LL SMASH IT!!!

“I’m already peanut butter and jealous of whatever lucky sod gets to be your dressing room buddy… because you’re the best roomie ever.

“Love you mate and wishing you a speedy recovery… this series won’t be the same without you…”

Dani replied: “Going to miss you, love you millions.”

Just days ago Dani shared her nerves ahead of the live shows.

She said last week: “I’m absolutely petrified about dancing live on Saturday nights.”

Speaking to The Sun about her upcoming Strictly adventure, she was asked if her famous dad Danny Dyer was going to watch – and if he would get emotional.

The mum-of-three revealed: “He’s going to. He will try and keep it together. Him and my mum are making a little date day of it.

“They’re coming on the launch show together. They’re really excited.”

Asked whether she could persuade The Football Factory star to do Strictly in the future, she said: “When it [Strictly] was announced, someone said Dani Dyer is doing it – they thought it was my dad. It’s not Danny Dyer – it’s the other one. 

“I don’t know. You can never say never.”

Strictly Come Dance 2025 lineup

Strictly Come Dancing news and the latest line up

Love Island star Dani Dyer has confessed that some Strictly Come Dancing may be expecting to see her EastEnders star father taking part in the 2025 season rather than her

Dani Dyer has admitted fans may have been duped into thinking her father, Danny Dyer, is taking part in the upcoming new season of Strictly Come Dancing.

The 29-year-old reality star is most famous for being the daughter of EastEnders star Danny, 48, and his financial advisor wife Joanne Mas, 48, and for being a contestant on the 2018 season of Love Island. This winter, fans will see the mum-of-three take to the Strictly dance floor as one of the 2025 contestants.

However, the Love Island star – who married West Ham United footballer Jarrod Bowen, 28, in May – has admitted that some TV fans may be tuning in expecting to see her dad, rather than her, taking on the ambitious dance routines. She explained that this is down to the fact her name and her father’s are pronounced the same.

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She told the Daily Mail: “A lot of people when they said Dani Dyer’s doing it, because it was on the radio they probably thought it was the other Danny Dyer.”

Speaking of her dad, she revealed there is one reality show she’d like to see him take part in – but she revealed he would refuse to do it, if asked. She said: “I would like to see him in the I’m A Celeb jungle but he says he never would go in the jungle.”

And she explained further: “He was like: ‘Dan, I’d be bored.’ He’d be snoring everyone to death.” Danny is known to many for playing Mick Carter in EastEnders – a role he held down from 2013–2022.

Since exiting the BBC soap, Danny has gone on to enjoy critical and commercial success playing Freddie Jones in the raunchy Disney+ series Rivals and for playing Lee in the hit Sky comedy series Mr. Bigstuff.

The 2025 season of Strictly Come Dancing has come under fire from some fans for having a lacklusture line-up stuffed full of reality star contestants. Alongside Love Island’s Dani is ex-Apprentice contestant Tom Skinner, former Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison, and social media star George Clarke.

The Daily Mail has suggested that show bosses failed to attach bigger names to the 2025 season after Strictly was hit by string of scandals – including accusations professional dancers had abused their celebrity co-stars.

A source claimed: “Yes, the Beeb had to expand their roster as they were struggling to get talent to sign up for a variety of mitigating circumstances.”

But a Strictly spokesperson hit back at the report, telling the Mirror: “This is pure conjecture from the Daily Mail. There was absolutely no difference to the casting process this year, both in timescale and the great mix of names wanting to take part.”

The 2025 season is due to begin on Saturday night on BBC One at 6:40pm. The launch show will see the new contestants being matched with their celebrity partners.

While reigning champions Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell – who won the series in 2024 – will return to take to the floor again, and fans will hear music by Jessie J.

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STRICTLY Come Dancing could be embroiled in a new ‘fix’ row after Dani Dyer claimed she was a ‘qualified dancer’.

Dani Dyer was the second celebrity contestant confirmed for Strictly Come Dancing 2025, with the announcment being made on The One Show earlier this week.

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Dani, 29, shot to fame when she won Love Island in 2018 – with her new reality stint very different to the dating show.

The daughter of EastEnders actor Danny Dyer will waltz her way around the ballroom in September when she joins the cast of the hit series.

But now it has been revealed that in an unearthed passage from her autobiography, Dani boasted about being a “qualified dancer”.

She said in her 2019 book that she would put “qualified dancer” under the list of qualifications on her CV.

Writing in her book, which came out six years ago, Dani wrote about how she went to theatre school at weekends from the age of 2 to 14.

“It was called O’Farrell’s Stage School and I was a really good little dancer,” she said.

Dani added: “I’m not a bad singer but it was the dance stuff I loved more – jazz, tap, ballet, modern. I’d get home and prance around the house.”

Elsewhere in the book she writes up a mock CV where she states her qualifications include: “Qualified dancer and pretty good at singing (especially Dua Lipa or Ariana Grande at the top of her voice while cleaning the kitchen).”

‘I’D BE HAPPY TO BE WHISKED AROUND’

She also spoke about Strictly in her book, saying how she would jump at the chance of being asked to compete on the hit reality dancing competition.

“If Strictly Come Dancing want to give me a call I’d also be happy to be whisked around the dance floor,” she penned at the time.

At the time of her book coming out, Dani was all loved up with then-beau Jack Fincham, and she said of Strictly: “The only thing I’d be worried about would be the curse.”

In her book from several years ago, Dani also swooned about her bond with Shirley Ballas.

Bonding with her on a trek for Comic Relief, Dani said she was “just the most graceful, lovely person”.

But despite admitting her prior dance experience, fans are still excited to see Dani storm the ballroom.

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Reacting to the news of Dani being confirmed for the series, one person on X said: “Woooo I love Dani!!!”

“Whoop I love Dani! She’ll be awesome,” penned a second.

The Sun has contacted Strictly for comment but they did not immediately respond.

SHOWBIZ BACKGROUND SCRUTINY

Dani is not the only star in Strictly history to have had their background in the world of showbiz scrutinised.

Tasha Ghouri, also from Love Island, had her background in dance.

The star who appeared on the series last year faced a backlash for being a trained dancer and branded the show a “fix” because they signed her up.

Actress Sarah Hadland and JLS’ JB Gill were also accused of having advantages on the show because of their backgrounds and prior careers.

But despite all of their experience, nor Tasha, Sarah or JB won the show.

STRICTLY 2025 LINE UP SO FAR

Gladiator Nitro‘s signing for Strictly was shortly followed by the announcement of three more contestants – Love Island star Dani, Doctor Who actress Alex Kingston and former footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink were then revealed.

EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal, who plays the role of Suki Panesar in the hit soap, was then confirmed on Tuesday morning.

With YouTuber George Clarke unveiled on Tuesday afternoon on BBC Radio 1.

Model Ellie Goldstein, who has Down syndrome, was then the seventh celebrity revealed to be waltzing their way onto the dance floor next month, in the groundbreaking signing.

RuPaul‘s Drag Race UK star La Voix was then the next confirmed star to be announced.

And former England rugby union player and captain Chris Robshaw has also been confirmed this week.

He’s miles away from Albert Square and all the EastEnders drama, but Danny Dyer was still thrilled to be reunited with one of his former co-stars while filming for Mr Bigstuff.

Nudity, fights and secret kisses – Danny Dyer doesn’t hold back in the second series of Mr Bigstuff. He even bumped into one of his former co-stars in EastEnders.

Danny Dyer‘s appearance in the first season has already earned him the 2025 TV Bafta for Male Performance in a Comedy Programme. Now, the show returns with Danny and creator Ryan Sampson as chalk-and-cheese brothers Lee and Glen – two blokes bound by blood but tested by secrets and deep-rooted dysfunction.

The emotions may be deep, but Mr Bigstuff doesn’t forget its slapstick roots. The stunts are back, and Danny has gone full throttle. “It’s very physical. It was a whole day of me having a tear-up,” he says, “I don’t mind that stuff, but it’s getting a bit more difficult as I get older.”

One brawl sees Lee square up to members of a working men’s club – and even Ryan couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Danny was very impressive, he’s like Errol Flynn when he gets going,” he says, “I’ve never seen anybody do that before. It’s really technical and knackering.”

Alongside the bruises and banter are a few familiar faces, with Taskmaster’s Fatiha El-Ghorri popping up again as Aysha, as well as EastEnders stars Alan Ford, who played Stevie Mitchell, and Linda Henry, aka Shirley Carter. “I love Linda,” says Danny, who starred as Shirley’s son Mick in the BBC soap. “I wanted more scenes with her.”

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Both actors were inspired by their own lives to nail the chaotic relationship. “They’re at each other’s throats, aren’t they?” says Ryan, 39. “I have siblings, and we sometimes tear strips off each other.”

Danny’s real-life brother Tony provided some inspiration for Glen and his character Lee. “We’re only 18 months apart but we’re so different, a little bit like Lee and Glen.

My brother hated football when he was a kid. His best friend was a girl and he loved playing with Barbies,” Danny, 47, recalls. “He was the bane of my life because being in an East London school, he was being bullied for it and I was fighting his battles a lot.

“He’s a straight man, but he wanted to play with dolls. There’s nothing wrong with that at all.” And then there were the games they played together.

“We used to play a game called Judo Mermaid. He was the mermaid so he would put my mum’s tights on his head and I was Judo. I’d turn up, a bit like Columbo, with a celery stick in my mouth, and solve crimes.”

But in Mr Bigstuff the laughs stop for Glen when his fiancée Kirsty – played by Harriet Webb – starts behaving strangely. She’s sitting on a secret that could destroy everything.

As fans will remember, Kirsty shared a stolen kiss with Lee at the end of series one. And she’s kept it to herself since. But in real life, Harriet admits she isn’t to be trusted with her own secrets.

“I’m very much an over-sharer,” she admits, “I once lied about how many sausages I’d eaten. Then immediately, after telling the lie, I revealed the truth.”

When a mystery blackmailer appears and threatens to spill the beans, silence becomes critical for her relationship with Glen. “Throughout series one, they told each other, ‘No more secrets,’” Harriet says.

“They made a pact, especially after he found out about Kirsty’s shoplifting. So to have another secret, although I’m not the only one, is a lot.”

Series two doesn’t just revolve around Kirsty’s moral dilemmas. Lee and Glen go digging into their father’s past, only for Lee to stumble on something that could shatter their sense of identity.

Not all scenes were fun for Harriet. She recalls one tough day of filming in Canvey Island, Essex. “There was one day dedicated to a scene in episode five and Ryan told me, ‘I can’t wait for this,’” Harriet says.

“And I was like, ‘It’s going to be hell, I’m going to have to be on the verge of tears for an entire day.’ That was my biggest challenge this season.”

For Ryan, the toughest scenes were the romantic ones. As a proud gay man, filming intimate moments with Harriet took some getting used to.

“I’ve written a lot of sex scenes and kissing,’” he says, “But actually doing it… There was one moment Kirsty was like, ‘I think you grab my boob now.’ That might only be the second boob I’ve grabbed.”

Still, the messy love triangle, the family drama and the emotional gut punches all come wrapped in the off-beat humour that made Mr Bigstuff a surprise hit. And its second series goes bigger and bolder.

As for a third? The cast are all on board, though Ryan says he hasn’t got it nailed down yet. “I’m waiting to see what the viewers think,” he says. “But season two ends on the biggest plot twist I could think of. That’s the jumping off point for series three. I already have a few ideas.”

Mr Bigstuff Series 2 launches on Sky and streaming service NOW on Thursday 24 July.

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EastEnders legend Danny Dyer has revealed he’s planning on following in his ‘hero” Harold Pinter’s footsteps by turning down a knighthood if he’s ever offered the accolade

Former EastEnders star Danny Dyer has shared why he’d turn down a knighthood.

The 47-year-old actor says that he was too “anti-establishment” for the title which are given to individuals by the monarch for a significant contribution to society.

He told Radio Times that he’d follow in the footsteps of his “hero” Harold Pinter, who turned down a knighthood back in 1996.

Nobel-winning playwright Pinter declined the honour of a knighthood offered to him on behalf of the late Queen Elizabeth II by former prime minister John Major, but later accepted the award of Companion of Honour in 2002.

When asked if he’d ever been approached about appearing on the New Year’s Honours list, Danny explained: “Have I f! Harold was my hero and turned down a knighthood.

“He was anti-establishment as well, so I don’t think it’s for me.”

Danny became a household name acting in EastEnders from 2013 to 2022 as fan favourite Mick Carter and has since gone on to star in Disney’s hit series Rivals, Sky comedy show Mr. Bigstuff, and an upcoming Irish film Three Quick Breaths.

It comes after Danny left his daughter Dani Dyer horrified with his honeymoon confession.

During a recent episode of their podcast Live And Let Dyers, the Love Island winner opened up about her romantic getaway with new husband and West Ham star Jarrod Bowen, while proud dad Danny managed to overshare in true Dyer fashion.

Back from her sun-soaked trip to Lake Como, Dani revealed the newlyweds were hit with gloomy weather but still made the most of their honeymoon bubble.

“The weather was terrible, it rained for three days but we were very lucky, because it always stopped raining when we went for lunch and for dinners and stuff,” Dani told her dad on the pod.

While the couple had hoped for some sunbathing time, Dani admitted they swapped tanning for telly, champagne and baths.

She added: “We just could never sunbathe, and there’s not really much to do there so, we just binged the whole series of MobLand. We ate and I’d just drink champagne and have loads of baths.”

However, it wasn’t long before Danny spun the convo onto his honeymoon and things got very a little too honest.

He said: “To be fair, you shouldn’t really be getting out of bed a lot in your honeymoon because me and your mother ended up in Florence, and you know, we was appalling!

“I mean, honestly, I look back on it and I think, ‘f****** hell! How on Earth did I manage to get in those sorts of positions!.”

A shocked Dani responded saying: “Oh, you’re disgusting!” before he hit back with: “What do you mean disgusting? There was two people sharing their love. Them days are long gone now!”