Strictly Shock Shirley Ballas Breaks Silence On Cast Shake-Up: Is Dani Dyer Out As Surprise Celebrity Steps In?

Shock exit: The TV personality abruptly quit the competition earlier this week, throwing the contest wide open.

Strictly has its first real curveball of the season: Dani Dyer is out with an ankle fracture just as the live shows are about to kick off, and the production is scrambling to figure out what to do with a suddenly empty spot on the dancefloor. Here is where things stand and what the show might try to pull together on short notice.

Is someone stepping in for Dani?

Right now, there is no official word on a replacement for Strictly Come Dancing 2025. Head judge Shirley Ballas popped up on This Morning and said the producers are actively trying to solve it. In her words:

"They are hustling and bustling to see what they can do... we are a dancer down."

The inside-baseball part: one option being floated is a simple schedule tweak so no one goes home in week one. Another is drafting in a new celeb at the eleventh hour. Strictly has done the last-minute swap before; back in 2019, Kelvin Fletcher jumped in for Jamie Laing right before the first live show and ended up winning the whole thing. So, yes, a sub is possible, even this late.

What actually happened to Dani?

Earlier this week, the BBC confirmed Dani had to withdraw after injuring her ankle in rehearsals. She took a fall while prepping for the first live show and initially thought she had just rolled her foot. An MRI then confirmed it was a fracture. Doctors told her she could not dance, so she pulled out. She called the decision heartbreaking and said she would be cheering everyone on from the sidelines, especially her pro partner Nikita.

Could she be back next year?

Shirley says there is a real chance. She described Dani as all sparkle and said the injury is a hairline fracture, which is small comfort but still a season-ender. Shirley also mentioned she spoke to Dani, who is devastated, and pointed to Jamie Laing as the template: he was injured, came back the following year, and made the final. Nikita echoed the hope on Instagram, saying he knows how much Dani wanted this and that maybe they can pick things up next year.

The immediate plan (as far as anyone knows)

• No replacement is confirmed yet for Strictly 2025.
• Producers are weighing options, including a week-one no-elimination or bringing in a new celeb.
• There is precedent for a last-minute replacement: Kelvin Fletcher for Jamie Laing in 2019.
• Dani fractured her ankle during training; an MRI confirmed it after she first thought it was a simple roll.
• Doctors ruled out dancing; Dani has withdrawn but is open to returning next year.
• Shirley Ballas relayed the behind-the-scenes scramble and suggested Dani could follow the Jamie Laing path back.
• Nikita posted his support and hopes to team up again in a future series.

When is the live show?

Strictly Come Dancing is set to air on Saturday 27 September at 6:55pm on BBC One and iPlayer. Whether we get a mystery eleventh-hour celeb or a reshuffled first week, we will find out very soon.