Strictly Come Dancing has been rocked by two exits, one unhappy pro and a very controversial signing and the hit BBC series has only been back on screens for a week

Strictly Come Dancing has only been back on screens for one week and the show has already been thrown into chaos. The hit BBC dance competition was hoping to brush off its many scandals from recent years with the huge return on Saturday night.

However, it seems Strictly’s turmoil is showing no signs of slowing down. Two celebrity contestants have quit the series, with bosses reportedly struggling to get stars to sign up earlier this year.

There has also been a storm around controversial Thomas Skinner, and one very unhappy professional dancer. It all follows dancers Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima’s axes plus a bullying probe and alleged drugs scandal.

Two celebrity exits

Dani has been forced to quit after an injury(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Ray Burmiston)

Kristian pulled out of the show last month(Image: INSTAGRAM)

Reality TV star Dani made her debut this past weekend with professional Nikita Kuzmin, however her Strictly dream has come crashing to a halt. She is no longer taking part in the series having suffered a fall in rehearsals.

The Love Islander devastatingly shared: “I had a fall on Friday in rehearsals and landed funny. 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 l’ve had to pull out of the show. To say I’m heartbroken is the biggest understatement. I am so going to miss dancing with Nikita but will of course be watching closely and cheering all the couples on.”

Dani isn’t the only celebrity to have pulled out of the 2025 series. Last month, Game of Thrones star Kristian Nairn pulled out, saying he’s been struggling with “a high level of stress and a little bit of grief”. He was later replaced by former Emmerdale star, Lewis Cope.

One unhappy pro

Nancy shared her disappointment at not having a celebrity partner(Image: nancy_xuxi/Instagram)

She danced with Shayne Ward last year(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Ray Burmiston)

Professional dancer Nancy Xu has directly addressed rumours she’s not happy about missing out on a celebrity pairing this year, in a bombshell social media clip. It had been claimed she’d been left upset by the situation, and Nancy confirmed that for herself.

She shared a clip of her being asked if she was “okay” by co-stars, where she replied “yeah” and smiling. Her video then cut to Nancy addressing the camera as she expressed gratitude for the support that she has received.

Nancy said: “I am okay. I am okay. As you all know now, I don’t have a dance partner on Strictly Come Dancing this year. In the very beginning, when I just received the messages, it [did] upset me and [I] felt disappointed.”

The dancer, who joined the BBC show in 2019, said about having moved to the UK from China: “All I wanted is to achieve my dream. Strictly has given me such a big platform to allow me to show my skills, show my talents.

“Of course, I felt this year has been left out but I’m good because I’m still part of the Strictly family. This year you will possibly hear my voice more than ever because I will give all my energy to support all my Strictly family. I will be there cheering for them.”

A controversial signing

View 5 Images

Thomas Skinner has been paired with professional Amy Dowden(Image: BBC)

Apprentice contestant Thomas Skinner turned heads when he signed up to the show, and has continued to prove his controversial nature already. Many thought he wasn’t a right fit for the family-friendly BBC show due to his outspoken nature and Twitter rants.

Things heated up earlier this month at the press launch for the show when he snatched a reporters phone and stormed off. It was later revealed he had cheated on his wife Sinead just weeks after their wedding.

On Saturday, he was paired with beloved professional dancer Amy Dowden, much to the dismay of fans. Following backlash over his signing, Thomas raged: “Now I see people are fumin’ that I’m on Strictly…. and the funny thing is that the majority of them got ‘be kind’ wrote in their bios.

“You couldn’t make it up. Let me tell you this. I won’t be cancelled. I ain’t gonna kill myself like some of you want. I’m still here. I’m still standin. Trust me when I say this; I am stronger than people think. Every insult, every lie, every attack….it don’t break me, it builds me stronger.”