Dani Dyer exits Strictly after ankle fracture, Amber Davies steps in

Dani Dyer has withdrawn from this year's Strictly Come Dancing after suffering a fractured ankle in rehearsals, the former Love Island winner said on Tuesday, days before the show's first live episode. Dyer, who was unveiled in the prerecorded launch show and had been paired with professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin, said the injury followed a fall during training last Friday and was confirmed by an MRI scan earlier this week.

"I had a fall on Friday in rehearsals and landed funny," Dyer said in a statement on Instagram. "I thought I had rolled my foot but it swelled up badly over the weekend and after an MRI scan yesterday, it turns out I have fractured my ankle. Apparently doing the quickstep on a fracture is not advisable and the doctors have said I am not allowed to dance so I’ve had to pull out of the show. To say I’m heartbroken is the biggest understatement."

The BBC confirmed the announcement on the programme's social media accounts and said it hopes to welcome Dyer back to the ballroom in the future. Executive producer Sarah James praised the energy Dyer brought to rehearsals and described her partnership with Kuzmin as having got off "to the most sensational start." Head...