Strictly Come Dancing's Will Bayley forced to quit the series after knee injury

The paralympian pulled out of last Saturday's show after suffering the injury during studio rehearsals 
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Tobi Akingbade30 October 2019

The 31-year-old was devastated to have missed last Saturday's Halloween special after suffering the injury on the morning of the live show.

The BBC has now confirmed the paralympian's exit from the competition.

In a tweet on the Strictly Come Dancing Twitter page, he said in a statement: "I’m gutted my Strictly journey has had to come to an end.

“I’ve loved being part of the show and am so grateful for the phenomenal support we have received.

“I want to say a special thank you to Janette for believing in me and giving me the confidence to believe in myself.

“The things we achieved, from our couple’s choice dance through to the lifts in our salsa, will stay with me forever.

“I’ve had the time of my life.”

PA

His dancing partner, Janette Manrara, said she was “absolutely devastated” that she and Will could not continue dancing.

“We made some incredible memories that I will never forget and I am pleased to have shared them with such an inspirational person whom I can now call a friend for life,” she said.

Strictly’s executive producer Sarah James added: “We are so sad that Will is unable to continue on the show.

“He is an incredible and talented person who has brought us some unforgettable moments this series – in particular his powerful and moving couple’s choice routine.

Janette Manrara and Will Bayley dancing before his injury 
BBC/Guy Levy

“He will be greatly missed and we wish him a speedy recovery.”

Will and Janette were due to perform a lively jive on Saturday, but a miscalculated jump left him with what he initially believed to be a broken leg.

Speaking in a prerecorded segment which aired during Saturday’s episode, he told viewers: “I jumped off a table and as I landed, I landed with a straight leg. I thought I had broken my leg because I had never felt anything like it before. Luckily, it's not as severe as what I thought when I first did it.

“To hear the words ‘I can't dance', was absolutely gutting to me.

"But I need to come back even stronger next week."

Since Will and Janette were unable to dance they were given a bye and automatically put through to this week's show.

However, contestants are only allowed to have one bye per series.

Footage of the accident showed the 31-year-old lying on the floor in agony, surrounded by a medical team and with a distraught Janette by his side.

Strictly Come Dancing: Halloween week through the years

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Meanwhile, fellow celebrity participant Alex Scott has cast doubt on the future of her partner Neil Jones after he was forced to pull out at the eleventh hour.

The former Arsenal player performed her Ghostbusters-inspired street dance with stand-in Kevin Clifton, after Neil injured himself just hours before the show.

Kevin had less than 45 minutes to learn the routine before taking to the dance floor.

Despite the setback, Alex and her temporary partner earned 34 points, one of her highest scores yet.

Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday at 7pm.

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