Strictly Come Dancing contestant La Voix has withdrawn from the competition after sustaining an injury that prevented her from performing in the Blackpool special. The drag queen, whose real name is Chris Dennis, was advised by medical staff to rest and subsequently pulled out of the show.
During Saturday night's live broadcast from the Blackpool Tower Ballroom, hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman confirmed the news. “Now, as you may have heard La Voix sustained an injury meaning she can’t dance in Blackpool tonight. Following further advice from our medical team, we can now confirm very sadly that she has had to withdraw from the competition,” Tess said.
La Voix took to Instagram to express her disappointment, writing: “Darlings, it breaks my heart to say this, but after all week of hoping, healing, and doing everything I possibly could, my injury simply hasn’t improved the way we prayed it would. With the guidance of the medical team and a heavy, heavy heart I have to officially withdraw from Strictly Come Dancing.” She added that she felt she had let down her professional partner, Aljaž Škorjanec.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that actress Alex Kingston performed in Blackpool with a dislocated rib. Her daughter Salome Violetta Haertel revealed the injury in a comment on Instagram, praising her mother for dancing “dislocated rib and all”. Kingston and her partner Johannes Radebe scored 35 out of 40 for their couple's choice routine.
La Voix is the fourth contestant to leave this series early, following Kristian Nairn, Dani Dyer, and Stefan Dennis. No elimination took place during the Blackpool episode, meaning all remaining couples will continue in the competition.
