Stefan Dennis has pulled out of this Saturday’s Strictly Come Dancing due to illness.
The Neighbours actor, 66, and his professional dance partner Dianne Buswell will instead receive a pass to next week’s show when it’s hoped he will be well again.
A statement from Strictly shared on Instagram read: ‘Due to illness over the past few days, Stefan Dennis has been advised to rest and, as a result, he will not dance this weekend.
‘In line with the rules of Strictly, Stefan and Dianne will receive a bye through to next week when they will hopefully be able to dance again.’
In the caption, they added: ‘Stefan Dennis won’t be dancing on Saturday night due to illness. We wish him a speedy recovery and will hopefully see him back in the Ballroom with Dianne next week.’
Dianne took to Instagram and wished Stefan well, writing: ‘Sending Aussie love to the wonderful @stefandennis7. You are such a trooper and I know how much you wanted to dance. Hopefully we will be back in full force next week.’
Stefan Dennis has pulled out of this Saturday’s Strictly Come Dancing due to illness
The Neighbours actor, 66, and his professional dance partner Dianne Buswell will instead receive a pass to next week’s show
Stefan’s illness is the latest set back for this year’s series of Strictly after fellow contestant Dani Dyer was forced to leave the competition when she fractured her ankle in rehearsals.
The Love Island winner didn’t get to dance in the first live show and she was instead replaced with Amber Davies at the last minute.
Meanwhile, Vicky Pattison denied quitting the show after she and partner Kai Widdrington were forced to miss a scheduled appearance on Strictly: It Takes Two earlier this week.
The TV personality, 37, who is currently competing in this year’s glitzy ballroom series with professional dancer Kai, 30, was due to appear on the spin-off show on Monday.
However, just hours before the show, Vicky revealed that she had been struck down with illness, and her partner Kai was also feeling unwell.
Taking to Instagram at the time, she wrote: ‘Man, or should I say ‘men’, down. Huge apologies to anyone expecting to see me and Kai on ‘It Takes Two’ tonight. Doing all we can to get back to our best and back to the training room asap.’
Alongside the message, the former Geordie Shore star posted a snap of her recovery essentials, including lozenges, cough syrup, ginger shots, oranges and juice as she battled to shake off the bug.
However, it seems fans began to fear the worst, speculating that Vicky may have quit the show altogether. So, on Thursday, she returned to Instagram to set the record straight.
A statement from Strictly shared on Instagram read: ‘Due to illness over the past few days, Stefan Dennis has been advised to rest and, as a result, he will not dance this weekend’
Dianne took to Instagram and wished Stefan well, writing: ‘Hopefully we will be back in full force next week’
Stefan’s illness is the latest set back for this year’s series of Strictly after fellow contestant Dani Dyer was forced to leave the competition
Vicky Pattison denied quitting the show after she and partner Kai Widdrington were forced to miss a scheduled appearance on Strictly: It Takes Two earlier this week
Posting a beaming selfie with Kai, she wrote: ‘There seems to have a bit of a miscommunication! @kaiwidd was poorly earlier on in the week and I wasn’t 110% so we had to pull out of our weekly appearance on It Takes Two… that’s it.
She went on to clarify: ‘I have not dropped out of Strictly… I’m having a lovely time and really grateful for this experience! Plus, Kai is feeling better now so we’re back in the rehearsal room AND back on It Takes Two tonight… just thought I’d clear that up.’
Vicky and Kai have been hard at work in rehearsals for Saturday night’s live show, where they’ll be dancing a lively Charleston to A Little Party Never Killed Nobody from The Great Gatsby.
Thomas Skinner became the first celebrity eliminated from this year’s series last weekend.
The Apprence star took to the dancefloor in week two with professional partner Amy Dowden, 35, performing to Dizzee Rascal’s Bonkers.
But during the first Results Show, Thomas and Amy went head-to-head against Chris Robshaw and Nadiya Bychkova in the show’s first dance off.
After three votes in favour of Chris and Nadiya, Thomas and Amy were announced as the first couple to exit the competition.
Thomas was deemed a controversial signing due to his outspoken Right-wing views, but the storm only grew when he confessed he’d cheated on his wife Sinead just weeks after they tied the knot.
After making his Strictly debut, Thomas insisted won’t be cancelled and claiming his marriage is stronger than ever.
He shared an impassioned and lengthy message where he claimed he was ‘being attacked’ and was only getting ‘stronger’.
He wrote: ‘Life ain’t easy. I’ve been kicked down an called every name under the sun recently and probably some of it I deserve, as yes I ain’t always right. But since I got invited to have a BBQ with JD Vance…. its gone crazy.
‘Certain people are doing everything they can to ruin me. Mainly Faceless accounts givin it large and abusing me, hypocrites making everything political.
Thomas Skinner became the first celebrity eliminated from this year’s series last weekend
The TV personality, 34, took to the dancefloor in week two of the hit BBC competition with professional partner Amy Dowden, 35, performing to Dizzee Rascal’s hit track Bonkers
‘Now I see people are fumin that I’m on Strictly…. and the funny thing is that the majority of them got ‘be kind’ wrote in their bios. You couldn’t make it up.’
Thomas, an Essex businessman who found fame after appearing on Lord Sugar’s The Apprentice, added that his strong work ethic meant he was able to ignore the controversy and ‘graft’.
He added: ‘Let me tell you this. I won’t be cancelled. I ain’t gonna kill myself like some of you want. I’m still here. I’m still standing. Trust me when I say this; I am stronger than people think. Every insult, every lie, every attack….it don’t break me, it builds me stronger. [sic]
‘I built what I got from nothing. I Slept on a pull-out bed on the floor for years cus I never had a bedroom. [sic] Weirdos write rubbish on Wikipedia about my upbringing that ain’t true, but they can’t take away what I’ve built with graft & fight. They call me a grifter, but all I do is work. Day in, day out, graft.’
Despite the scandals surrounding him, it had been reported that Strictly’s stars were supporting Thomas behind the scenes.
Thomas confessed to Daily Mail’s Katie Hind that the cheating scandal has been ‘awful for my poor wife to read it all’ as he came clean on the affair.
It comes after Vicky recently brushed off concerns about facing co-stars with professional stage experience on the BBC show.
This year’s line-up includes the likes of Amber Davies, who has starred in 9 to 5 The Musical and Back To The Future, as well as Emmerdale’s Lewis Cope, who once played the lead in Billy Elliot on stage.
It has also emerged that he previously took part in the Sky show Got To Dance, where he was a member of a troupe called Ruff Diamond and reached the final of the 2013 series, finishing in fourth place.
It comes after Vicky revealed last week that she went back to therapy before taking part in Strictly as she weighed in on the controversy surrounding contestants with dance experience (pictured with her therapists The Speakmans)
In a lengthy post she urged fans to face their fears, saying anxiety shouldn’t stop them from chasing amazing opportunities
Harry also already knows his way around the dance floor.
Whilst the Team GB sprinter doesn’t have any professional dance experience, he did take part in the 2024 Strictly Christmas special with Nancy Xu, which could give him an advantage when it comes to learning the steps in rehearsals.
EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal also revealed she previously ‘dabbled’ in Latin and ballroom dancing as a hobby.
But rather than seeing it as unfair, Vicky has insisted the mix of abilities is part of the magic of the show.
She told The Sun: ‘Every year, Strictly has people of different abilities, doesn’t it? Some people who have never danced before, totally inexperienced, and some people maybe did ballet before as kids, some people a bit more’
She added that she didn’t feel it was a ‘big problem’ and that experience in one genre doesn’t guarantee success on the ballroom floor, saying: ‘Just because someone’s experienced in one, doesn’t mean they’re experienced in another.’
And far from feeling overshadowed, Vicky reckons viewers actually benefit from having strong performers in the mix early on.
She said: ‘I do think it’s nice for the viewers at home that they get to watch some really good dancers early doors… There are still some really brilliant performances to watch, and everyone goes on a journey.’
STRICTLY LINEUP 2025
Harry Aikines-Aryeetey
Age: 36
Profession: Olympic Sprinter and Gladiator
Harry says: ‘I’ll be bringing tons of energy to light up the dance floor. Let’s hope I’m as quick picking up the routines as I am on the track.’
Alex Kingston
Age: 62
Profession: Doctor Who actress
The actress teases: ‘My hips don’t lie.’
Balvinder Sopal
Age: 46
Profession: EastEnders actress
Balvinder says: ‘I’m far too excited to put into words how I feel but I’m incredibly excited at the prospect of dancing across the ballroom.’
La Voix
Age: 45
Profession: Drag performer
She says: ‘Strictly is a national institution and I can’t wait to get started. All that’s left to say is: good luck to my partner! Here’s hoping they can help me go from La Voix into La Danse.’
Thomas Skinner
Age: 34
Profession: Reality star and entrepreneur
He says: ‘Bring on the sequins, sambas and most importantly, the BOSH to the ballroom!’
Vicky Pattison
Age: 37
Profession: Reality TV star
She says: ‘I’m absolutely buzzing to be part of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing line-up… but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified.’
Karen Carney
Age: 38
Profession: Football pundit
She says: ‘I’m such a huge fan of the show and I can’t believe I’m finally getting the chance to take part.’
George Clark
Age: 25
Profession: YouTuber
He says: ‘Never thought I’d say this… but I’m doing Strictly! Honestly, I’ve got no idea what I’m doing but I’m excited to get stuck in … and potentially fall over a fair bit.’
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Age: 53
Profession: Former Chelsea and Netherlands striker and ex-England coach.
He says: ‘Swapping the pitch for the ballroom is certainly not something I’ve done before but I’m looking forward to tackling a fun challenge! Bring on a new type of footwork, with hopefully no own goals.’
Ellie Goldstein
Age: 23
Profession: Model, influencer and disability ambassador
She says: ‘It’s a show I’ve loved watching for so long, and the chance to now be part of it feels like a dream’.
Chris Robshaw
Age: 39
Profession: Rugby player
He says: ‘This is about as far out of my comfort zone as it gets! I’m hoping to take my dad-dancing to a whole new level, and my mum can’t wait to drag me along to her Zumba class’.
Stefan Dennis
Age: 66
Profession: Actor
He says: ‘Looking forward to the sparkle and reaching for the sky.’
Ross King
Age: 63
Profession: Showbiz correspondent
He says: ‘I can’t wait to learn from the best, meet my fellow contestants, and, most importantly… try not to step on too many toes!’
Lewis Cope
Age: 30
Profession: Actor
He says: ‘I’m so excited to be swapping the Dales for the dance floor and joining this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.’
Amber Davies
Age: 28
Profession: West End star
She says: ‘This has been the craziest 24 hours of my life. I’ve watched Strictly with my family since I was younger and to now be part of the show is a dream come true.’
