Strictly Come Dancing viewers have spotted a potential clue suggesting Delta Goodrem may be forced to withdraw from the series, after noticing that her Week 3 dress was adapted from one AJ Odudu was scheduled to wear in the 2021 final.
The Eurovision star will miss Saturday's Icons Week after suffering a rib injury, receiving an automatic bye to the following week. The BBC confirmed in a statement: "Due to injury, Delta Goodrem has been advised by doctors to rest and, as a result, will not dance on this weekend's Strictly Come Dancing. In line with the rules of the show, Delta and Kai will receive a bye through to next week when it is hoped they will be able to dance again. We wish Delta the very best as she continues her recovery."
Delta's heartbreak over injury
Delta said she was "gutted" by the setback, adding: "I'm absolutely gutted that a rib injury means I won't be able to dance on Strictly this week. I've been loving every second of this experience, so having to sit this one out is heartbreaking - especially after the high of Saturday night."
She continued: "I cannot tell you how much I love being a part of this magical show. I'm going to focus on resting and recovering, and hopefully I'll be back on that dance floor very soon. Thank you so much to everyone for all the love and support. It's so appreciated. I'll be cheering everyone on from the sidelines this week! Sending all my love, Delta xx."
Dress clue sparks fears
Fans on Reddit observed that Delta's sparkling gown from Week 3 appeared to be adapted from one AJ Odudu was due to wear for the Strictly final in 2021. AJ, who was also partnered with Kai Widdrington, withdrew from the contest after rupturing a ligament in her right ankle, leaving Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice, and John Whaite and Johannes Radebe as the only remaining couples.
One person posted: "I noticed that Delta's salsa dress this week was modified from AJ's showdance dress that never was! It's one of my favourite ever Strictly outfits, I recognised it as soon as Delta walked onto screen. The silver fringe was added at the bottom for Delta. I really love that they reuse the outfits in clever ways, especially something like this with so much time spent rhinestoning it by hand." Another viewer joked that the dress "needs to be retired before anyone else gets injured".
AJ's reflection on the gown
AJ previously spoke about wearing the dress during the final despite not performing in it, describing the experience to Women's Health as "a sweet dream and a beautiful nightmare". She said: "It was absolutely amazing. I got to wear the dress I was going to wear for my show dance; I wanted to get to the final and I got to the final. But it was also that realisation of, 'Oh my gosh, I cannot believe that I'm not on that stage because I've got this injury! Are you joking?'"
She added: "Now, I kind of feel guilty that I was so hard on myself initially. I thought, 'How were you so angry at your body, which has done so much. Like, at least 10 hours a day for 13 weeks'. Yes I have this body that let me down, but, actually, it carried me to the final; it did what it needed to do." Strictly Come Dancing continues at 6.15pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
