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Actor Nigel Harman has pulled out of Strictly Come Dancing just hours ahead of the quarter final after suffering an injury, the BBC has said.
The Casualty star had been due to dance a Charleston with professional partner Katya Jones.
A spokesperson said: “Unfortunately Nigel has sustained an injury which means he is unable to perform and has had to withdraw from Strictly”.
It is not clear whether an elimination will still go ahead this week.
The remaining celebrities are actress Ellie Leach, tennis star Annabel Croft, theatre and TV star Layton Williams and EastEnders actor Bobby Brazier.
Asked what would happen this week, a BBC spokesperson said: “It’s a live situation and the logistical details will be revealed on the show this evening.”
Initial reports suggested Harman had suffered a leg injury, but it was later clarified by the BBC that it was a rib injury.
Last Saturday, Harman and Jones danced a Rumba to a cover of ‘It’s All Coming Back to Me Now’ by Celine Dion.
The pair were given a score of 33 points by the judges.
The quarter final is “musicals week” and Harman had been due to dance to Step in Time from Disney’s Mary Poppins.
A post on the show’s Instagram page wished him a “speedy recovery”, adding the couple will be “very much missed by our entire Strictly family”.
Strictly fans took to social media to express their concern for Harman at the news.
“Wishing Nigel a speedy recovery, it’s such a shame to get this far and sustain an injury that is forcing him to quit, but health has to come first,” one fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“Heartbroken for Nigel & Katya. Their Charleston looked fantastic,” another wrote. They added that they thought the dance show should not have an elimination tonight.
Another said Harman should have “a free pass” into next week.
The star had said he was “amazed, excited, and terrified” when he was confirmed in August to be doing Strictly.
He added: “As an armchair fan of the show I have watched in awe as people have twirled and gyrated across the screen. And now it’s my turn… gulp!”
However, he and Jones were absent from the line-up of participants taking part in the Strictly Come Dancing live UK tour next year.
Harman is not the first to quit this year’s show.
In October, actress Amanda Abbington withdrew from Strictly, citing “personal reasons” for being “unable to continue”.