Kai Widdrington will not take to the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom floor this weekend, as the professional dancer has been forced to sit out the live show on Saturday, November 14, due to illness.
His absence comes just one week after Jaime Winstone found herself unable to perform due to a torn abdominal muscle.
Why Kai is absent this weekend
On Friday, November 13, the BBC confirmed that Kai would not be dancing with his celebrity partner Delta Goodrem due to illness. Fellow professional dancer Aljaž Škorjanec, who departed the competition alongside Melanie Walters in week three, will be stepping in to take his place.
A statement posted to Strictly's official Instagram account read: "Due to illness, Kai is unable to dance on tomorrow night's show. Instead, Aljaž will step in to dance the Argentine Tango with Delta. We're sending Kai all our love and hope he feels better very soon."
Fans quickly flooded the comments section with well wishes. One person wrote: "Get well soon Kai. I hope your back to dance with Delta next week. Aljaž will do well with Delta this week, then team DeltaKai can be back on the dance floor." Another added: "Get well soon Kai, we're thinking of you."
Previous setbacks for Delta and Kai
This is not the first obstacle for Delta and Kai, as Delta notably had to sit out a week of dancing owing to a rib injury. Delta said at the time: "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.
"I can not 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."
Having missed Icons Week, Delta and Kai made their return to the ballroom with a Rumba that secured the first 10 of the series. This weekend, Delta and Aljaž will take to the floor with an Argentine Tango to Missing by Everything but the Girl. Whether they can secure their place in Blackpool Week remains to be seen.
Strictly Come Dancing is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
