Dani Dyer-Bowen 'can't wait' to watch Strictly after being forced to leave show

Former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Dani Dyer-Bowen has said she "can't wait" to watch the show despite being forced to leave after fracturing her ankle.

The 29-year-old previous Love Island winner has been replaced by another former winner of the ITV reality show, Amber Davies, after she suffered the injury in a fall during rehearsals for the 23rd series of the BBC dancing show.

Dyer-Bowen, who is married to West Ham United and England footballer Jarrod Bowen, said in a post on Instagram: "Good luck to all the gorgeous cast starting their Strictly journey tonight can’t wait to watch you all, so proud, and know how hard you’ve all been working, see you all soon."

Following the fall, she told her Instagram followers she would take "a few days off my socials" to process the departure before returning to the set to cheer on the cast.

In a statement last week, she said: "I thought I had rolled my foot but it swelled up badly over the weekend and after an MRI scan yesterday, it turns out I have fractured my ankle.

"Apparently doing the quickstep on a fracture is not advisable, and the doctors have said I am not allowed to dance, so I’ve had to pull out of the show."

In a video, Dyer-Bowen said she was "so heartbroken" to leave the series and added her departure was a "very, very annoying, devastating thing", before thanking fans for their "love and support".

On Saturday images were released of the first live show of the new series of Strictly Come Dancing, with even the judges getting into special costumes and hitting the dance floor.

The judges – Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke – will dance through the decades on Saturday night's show.

Du Beke dons a wig along with a tuxedo and tails with a look from the 1970s, while Ballas sparkles in a black sequin dress to represent the 1980s.

Mabuse also wears black in a look straight out of the 1990s, while Revel Horwood models four different costumes for the show.

Mabuse can be seen being spun around on the dancefloor with professional dancer Johannes Radebe, while Du Beke is seen waltzing with another.

The first live show follows the series’ launch last weekend, and will see the 15 contestants dance with their professional partners and be scored by the judges for the first time.

Former Love Island winner Amber Davies has been announced as the replacement for Dani Dyer-Bowen, who was forced to pull out after she fractured her ankle during rehearsals.

Davies will be partnered with Nikita Kuzmin for the 23rd series of the hit BBC One dancing programme.

The 28-year-old actress said: "This has been the craziest 24 hours of my life."

Strictly Come Dancing will be broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 6.55pm on Saturday.

Source: Press Association