Stefan Dennis withdraws from Strictly Come Dancing after calf tear

Stefan Dennis has withdrawn from Strictly Come Dancing after tearing a calf muscle during the weekend's programme, the 66 year old actor announced on Monday, bringing an abrupt end to his partnership with professional dancer Dianne Buswell. Dennis, best known for playing Paul Robinson on Neighbours, said medical advice meant he could no longer continue in the BBC One series.

"This morning I woke up to the most disappointing day of my Strictly journey," Dennis said in a statement read on the companion show It Takes Two, describing the injury as significant enough to force his withdrawal. The couple had missed a previous live show when Dennis was ill and were given a bye back into the competition. They returned on Saturday to perform a Charleston to Dance Monkey by Tones and I and received a score of 26, their highest to date.

Dennis later told interviewers he had been told he could not fly home to Australia for at least two weeks because of the risk of deep vein thrombosis following the injury. He said he was "gutted" to leave the contest after gaining confidence on the dance floor and expressed gratitude to the Strictly team and to Buswell for helping him fulfil his ambition of...