Kai Widdrington will not be dancing with Delta Goodrem on Strictly Come Dancing this weekend. The professional dancer has been forced to miss the live show on Saturday, November 14, due to illness.
The BBC confirmed the news on Friday, November 13, stating that Kai would not dance with his celebrity partner Delta Goodrem. His fellow pro dancer Aljaž Škorjanec, who left the competition with Melanie Walters in week three, will step in his place.
Official statement and fan support
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 shared their well wishes in the comments section. 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." A third said: "Get well soon @kaiwidd. Good luck for your Argentine Tango tomorrow night @deltagoodrem @aljazskorjanec."
Previous setbacks for Delta and Kai
This is not the first setback for the pair. Delta previously had to miss a week of dancing due to a rib injury. At the time, Delta said: "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 added: "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."
After missing Icons Week, Delta and Kai returned to perform a Rumba, which earned the first 10 of the series. This weekend, Delta and Aljaž will perform an Argentine Tango to "Missing" by Everything but the Girl. Whether they will make it through to Blackpool Week remains to be seen.
Strictly Come Dancing is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
