Neighbours star Stefan Dennis was forced to pull out of Strictly Come Dancing this week after he ‘tore his calf so significantly’
Strictly Come Dancing star Stefan Dennis has confirmed his future on the dance competition after he was forced to quit due to an injury. On Monday, the Neighbours star announced his departure in a lengthy post shared on social media, explaining he ‘tore his calf so significantly that he was forced to withdraw from the show’.
“I owe both the Strictly Family and Dianne [Buswell] a massive debt of gratitude for giving me the opportunity to fulfil my dream of being able to dance with my wife. (When my leg is better),” he said. Stefan – whose soap character Paul Robinson lost a leg in a cliff fall – added he was “gutted” about leaving.
Despite the blow, fans will still be able to see him on Strictly before the programme ends.
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“It’s a bit of a s****er, but I’ll be back at the end of the year, for the final,” he explained to The Sun.
However, it is not known whether he’ll be joining in on the group performance or if he will even be able to perform with his injury.
Meanwhile, Stefan recently confessed he felt like ‘he let people down’ because of the injury and subsequent exit from the beloved competition.
“I just feel like I’ve let everyone down,” he said to The Mirror during the Pride Of Britain Awards. “They all say I haven’t, of course, and the pros know all about injuries, but it feels like a shame to go out in this way.
“It was all going so well. When you go out, you want it to be because the viewers have spoken, because it’s your time, not like this.”
The news was a particularly upsetting blow for Stefan as the news came after viewers saw Chris Robshaw and his partner Nadiya Bychkova get voted out.
Stefan then revealed he begged producers to let Chris return to the show in his place. “I said they should keep Chris in now that I’m going but they said they couldn’t do that – once you’ve gone, you’ve gone.”
Two exits in two days could lead to just three pairings in the live final in December – provided no one else gets injured along the way. “That’s what has happened before I believe,” says Stefan.
Speaking about the severity of the injury, he added: “I thought I’d be able to carry on but they said absolutely not,” Stefan admitted. “The muscle needs complete rest. So that’s me done unfortunately.”
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