Dani Dyer exits Strictly Come Dancing with fractured ankle, prompting production scramble

Dani Dyer has withdrawn from Strictly Come Dancing after doctors confirmed a fractured ankle following a fall in rehearsals, the BBC said Tuesday. An MRI conducted over the weekend revealed the break, and her medical team advised she could not dance, forcing her to exit the competition.

Producers had pitched Dyer as the light, entertaining antidote to a season shadowed by off-screen controversy, with insiders describing her as the 'perfect tonic' for the show. The 29-year-old, the daughter of actor Danny Dyer, is married to West Ham and England forward Jarrod Bowen and shares two-year-old twin daughters, Summer and Star. Her departure left the series 'bereft,' according to one source, and some insiders warned that a new 'curse'—the pattern of relationships unraveling after participation—had struck the program.

As of Tuesday evening, no stand-in was confirmed, leaving producers with a growing bind. Any replacement would likely miss two weeks of training, and the contestant would not appear on this weekend's show where public voting is not in play. The decision to recruit a new celebrity would hinge on whether schedules could accommodate a shortened lead-in, and may still be deferred if no suitable replacement could be secured in time.

Dyer, a former Love Island winner in 2018 with Jack Fincham, has since become one of Britain's most recognizable celebrities, marrying Jarrod Bowen in May at a five-star hotel in Buckinghamshire and building a media footprint as an influencer and podcaster. She has a son, Santiago, with ex-partner Sammy Kimmence, who was jailed in 2021 for defrauding pensioners. Her public profile helped BBC executives frame her appearance as a catalyst for returning to the show's earlier lighthearted tone after recent controversies.

The show's chaos behind the scenes intersects with other ongoing storylines. Thomas Skinner, another contestant, was revealed to have cheated on his wife Sinead years ago, while professional dancer Nancy Xu posted a pointed message about not obtaining a celebrity partner for the current series. BBC insiders cautioned that these developments are not evidence of cultural or national bias—citing that Carlos Gu, who is also Chinese, has partnered with Karen Carney. A show source described the social-media chatter around Xu's remarks as “a bit silly.”

Producers reportedly view Dyer as a potential future asset, likening her to Jamie Laing, who quit Strictly in 2019 due to an injury and returned the following year to reach the final. The network has indicated it will do everything possible to secure Dyer's return to Strictly in 2025 or 2026, depending on scheduling and health, underscoring the cast's fragile balance between talent, timing and reality-TV drama.

Dyer spent hours awaiting doctors' assessments after learning of the MRI results. A source described the wait as nerve-wracking for the star and her family, with the reality that she could not continue her Quickstep in its current form finally setting in. The production team has not confirmed any immediate replacements, and the absence of a decision by late Tuesday night has left the studio in a state of cautious anticipation as they weigh next steps.