Nigel Harman withdraws from Strictly Come Dancing after sustaining injury

Naomi Clarke, PA Entertainment Reporter

Nigel Harman has withdrawn from Strictly Come Dancing after sustaining an injury, the BBC has said.

The former EastEnders actor (50) had been due to perform a Charleston to Step In Time from Disney’s Mary Poppins with his partner Katya Jones in musicals week on Saturday night.

Harman’s departure ahead of the quarter-finals leaves only four celebrities in the competition – actress Ellie Leach, tennis star Annabel Croft, theatre and TV star Layton Williams and EastEnders actor Bobby Brazier.

A post shared by BBC Strictly (@bbcstrictly)

A BBC spokesperson said: “Unfortunately Nigel has sustained an injury which means he is unable to perform in tonight’s show and has had to withdraw from Strictly.”

A post on the show’s Instagram page wished Harman a “speedy recovery” and said the couple will be “very much missed by our entire Strictly family”.

The couple appeared on the Strictly spin-off show It Takes Two on Friday night to talk about their upcoming performance.

Last Saturday, Harman danced the rumba to It’s All Coming Back To Me Now by Celine Dion, scoring a total of 33 points for their efforts.

Anton Du Beke called the performance “super duper” but said Harman tried to dance with Jones, instead of letting her perform around him.