Nigel Harman joked ambulance was 'on standby' before Strictly Come Dancing exit
Nigel Harman had joked he had St John's Ambulance 'on standby' less than one day before his shocking Strictly Come Dancing withdrawal.
It was confirmed that the EastEnders star had quit the BBC reality series on Saturday afternoon, just hours ahead of tonight's Quarter Finals. Nigel, 50, was due to perform the Charleston to Step in Time from Mary Poppins with partner Katya Jones, as part of the show's annual Musicals Week.
It has since been revealed that the soap actor was suffering from a rib injury, which has left him unable to continue in the competition. On Friday, Nigel admitted he was struggling to breathe in rehearsals for his upcoming Charleston dance.
Nigel Harman joked that an ambulance was a standby for his upcoming Musicals Week routine"This week, St John's ambulance are on standby," he joked to Fleur East on Strictly: It Takes Two, after teasing that viewers could expect a dramatic number with smoke and background dancers for Musicals Week. He also shared his apprehension about making it to the semi-finals, which would have required him to learn two completely different routines in one week. "Two dances in a week, I hear it's possible but I'm just going to walk blindly with it and pretend that everything is fine!
Speaking on the podcast Steph's Packed Lunch, Nigel also revealed he'd be 'impressed' if he was still standing by the time he performed the Charleston to Step in Time at the live show. "Every time we finish this routine, I'm literally on an oxygen mask for about five minutes. If I'm still standing by the end of Saturday night, I'll be impressed."
EastEnders' Jake Wood's snap of son has fans pointing out the pair's likeness
It's understood that Nigel did not show up to rehearsals in the Strictly studios this morning and that his fellow contestants were informed of his departure from the glitzy show shortly after. A source told the Sun: "He and Katya were really disappointed as they were hoping to stay in the competition. They hadn't been in the bottom two so had a real chance of making it to the finals. Nigel has been training really hard and really threw himself into rehearsals."
Katya has yet to address Nigel's exit publicly, but her latest Instagram update would suggest she hadn't been prepared for the departure. "Here we goooo!" the 34-year-old captioned her most recent Story, which included a dazzling photo of the Strictly Come Dancing logo with its Musicals Week sign ahead of tonight's Quarter Finals. The picture also tagged all of the celebrity couples competing for a place in the final; Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell, Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola, Leyton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin, and Annabel Croft and Johannes Radebe.
The official Strictly Come Dancing Instagram page also confirmed the disappointing news in the following statement: "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."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
