Inside Strictly Come Dancing's injury crisis - freak accident and stars out of action

Strictly Come Dancing has seen scandal after scandal in recent times and now some of the BBC stars of the popular dancing competition have faced setbacks due to health complications

After weathering the storm of the 'abuse' scandal, Strictly Come Dancing has been hit with several more devastating blows.

Some of this year's contestants have been forced to pull out of the BBC series due to illness, and now the latest to have fallen victim is Nadiya Bychkova, who suffered a freak accident on Wednesday. While she no longer has a celebrity partner, she still takes part in the group professional dances; however, she will now have to sit some scenes out.

Welsh professional Amy Dowden will also be missing from the dancefloor this weekend, after she collapsed backstage following her foxtrot performance with partner JB Gill. The star, who had the all-clear after being diagnosed with breast cancer, and also struggles with Crohn's Disease, could be forced to quit the series, according to a source.

Strictly rules state each contestant is only allowed to miss one week through illness or injury before having to retire. The latest drama comes after former professional Giovanni Pernice was dropped from the 20th anniversary series after his 2023 partner Amanda Abbington accused him of "bullying" and "aggressive behaviour" - which he strongly denied.

The results of the BBC's internal investigation were released just weeks ago, with the broadcaster ruling that Giovanni was not physically abusive, but complaints about verbal bullying and harassment were upheld. Out of up to 17 allegations against him, six were upheld. The BBC apologised to Amanda and thanked her for coming forward in a statement issued at the time.

Here, the Mirror takes a look at the latest set-backs among Strictly contestants...

Nadiya Bychkova badly hurt

Professional dancer Nadiya Bychkova, who was partnered with Olympic hunk Tom Dean who was the first to be voted out, broke her thumb during a rehearsal session on Wednesday. The 35-year-old fell on her hand and broke a bone in her thumb during training alongside the other professionals.

The star was treated immediately on the set at the time of the incident - which is said to have taken place on Wednesday. She reportedly underwent an X-Ray, which confirmed a bone had been broken and she was subsequently told to rest up.

A source told The Sun: "Nadiya was training with the other pros when she fell. Her thumb basically snapped and it looked incredibly painful. Everyone crowded around her." The source added: "Nadiya's thumb was badly swollen and bruised, but she doesn't want to let anyone down and is adamant she can do the pre-recorded number. A doctor eventually cleared her and she will be able to film, but might be treated with kid gloves by fellow pros."

The source went on to say that the Ukrainian dancer is putting on a brave face despite the painful injury and has vowed to carry on as much as she can on the show. The Mirror has contacted the BBC for comment about the incident.

Amy Dowden rushed to hospital

Amy Dowden was forced to miss Sunday night's results show after she was taken to hospital. She had performed with her celebrity dance partner JB, yet needed medical treatment after the live programme came to an end.

Amy collapsed backstage after cameras stopped rolling, meaning she missed the recording of the results show that takes place on Saturday night. Following Amy's absence, JB shared: "On behalf of both @amy_dowden and I, I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone for voting for us and wishing us well. We absolutely loved our performance on Saturday night and are so grateful to be through to another week on @bbcstrictly Thank you, thank you, thank you for your support."

Amy's spokesperson added: "Amy was feeling unwell and so an ambulance was called as a precaution. She is feeling much better and would like to thank the Strictly family for their love and concern. We request Amy's privacy in matters of health is kindly respected." The BBC explained that "due to unforeseen circumstances" Amy was "unable" to be part of the episode, which is recorded on Saturday after the live show.

The Welsh professional, who got the all-clear after being diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2023, will miss this weekend's episodes, with Lauren Oakley taking her place. Speaking of Amy, JB said: "To not have her in rehearsals this week has been a bit surreal. But you know, the best thing […] is that she’s taken some time to get better. We’re obviously wishing her all the best as she recovers."

During his appearance on BBC Radio 2, the singer also spoke about working with Lauren. He said: "Well, of course everybody's different and especially when you're doing partner work - Amy's slightly shorter than Lauren, you know, there are little sort of bits and pieces that are different for each of them. So for me coming into that and not, obviously, being a professional, it's just about having to adapt to how they dance.

"The good thing about this week is that I'm doing my couples choice, so it's not so much Ballroom hold or Latin partner work and lifts and so on. It's gonna be a bit more, I guess, individual side by side, because it's icons week this weekend on the show and we're gonna have a chance to express ourselves together. So actually, I feel like it's gonna be a good way for me to approach obviously the changes that we've had this week."

Nick Knowles' injury

Nick Knowles had a turbulent time on Strictly and now doesn't think he'll be able to participate in the show's final. The 'DIY SOS' presenter, 62, and his professional partner Luba Mushtuk were eliminated from the BBC competition earlier this month.

Although all couples usually return for a final dance, the TV star expressed uncertainty about his return due to ongoing recovery from injuries sustained on the show. Nick recently underwent bicep surgery and is awaiting another operation on his knee.

The telly star was struck down with an injury at the beginning of the series after injuring his shoulder while fixing a car tyre after the opening episodes. He then suffered a knee injury whilst practising the Charleston - which requires lots of leg flicks and knee action.

Nick was ordered to rest his leg, but Strictly rules state each contestant is only allowed to miss one week through illness or injury before having to retire. Despite missing out on days of crucial rehearsal time, the star returned to Week 4, where he was sadly eliminated.