Strictly Come Dancing is one of the most glamorous shows on the BBC after welcoming some of the biggest names in showbiz to the dance floor.
The long-running reality dance competition made its TV debut back in May 2004 and quickly became a Saturday night staple building up a loyal following of fans. Each week the series pulls in an average of 6.4million viewers who tune in to see the star-studded line up progress.
However, the popular show has been struck with an unlucky curse over the past two decades and has seen the likes of Carol Vorderman and Anastasia fall victim to some of the most painful injuries.
It's fair to say the 20th anniversary series was no exception, with several cast members forced to pull out of the show after sustaining injuries in the training room.
As fans bid farewell to the BBC show for one more year, let's take a deep dive inside all the injuries the cast sustained during the anniversary series.
‘Ripped apart’
Chris McCausland gave fans an insight into what it was like to compete on Strictly Come Dancing, where he sustained an injury in rehearsals with his dance partner Dianne Buswell.
The comedian, who made TV history as the first-ever blind contestant of the show, moved viewers in December when he was crowned the winner of the BBC dance competition. His final performance, a waltz to Gerry and The Pacemakers’ hit single You’ll Never Walk Alone, earned him a perfect score.
During an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show, the 47-year-old was quizzed about his worst injury he sustained on the reality show.
He revealed: “Dianne tried to do this move with me that she’d seen on TikTok. I had to pull her vertical body up straight, and it literally ripped me apart from my left a**e cheek to my right shoulder” .
Major surgery
Nick Knowles first became injured in October 2024 while changing a tyre on a roadside, meaning he had to pull out of training for a whole week of training and skip Movie Week.
Once he was back in rehearsals, he injured his knee but managed to return to the show, however the DIY SOS star and his professional partner Luba Mushtuck were eliminated in the fourth week of the TV show.
Since then, he has undergone two major operations over the last couple of months to help aid his recovery. However, the star was forced to pull out of the BBC final while he recovered from his recent “bicep reattachment” operation.
Days after the grand finale, he shared an honest update on how he’s adjusting and the significant work he’s doing to help get him back to full health.
In a short clip posted on Instagram, the 62-year-old was seen walking up a set of stairs while holding onto crutches and wearing braces on his legs and arms while being supported by a medical professional.
He captioned the clip: “So it wasn’t on my letter to Santa for two major operations – one to reattach my bicep and a second to build a new ACL and mend two years in the meniscus.
“Thank you to my two magnificently talented surgeons – Mr Ahrens for the bicep and Mr Jig Patel for the knee. Three types of knee brace and one type of elbow brace – crutches – game ready ice and pressure machine – pressure leggings – physio stretching out for months ahead.”
He then shared his ultimate goal is to be “walking normally” for the start of February when the next series of DIY SOS gets underway, which he has since achieved.
Heartbreaking set back
But it’s not just the celebrities who have suffered devastating injuries on the BBC ballroom competition. Back in November, professional dancer Amy Dowden was forced to pull out of the competition just weeks after making a huge comeback following her cancer diagnosis.
The Welsh beauty revealed to her loyal legion of fans online that she was heartbroken to step back from the series after sustaining a foot injury.
Her co-star and fellow pro dancer Lauren Oakley stepped in to train her celebrity dance partner JB Gill compete for the remainder of the series, making it all the way to the live final.
Thankfully, Amy was able to make a full recovery and joined the pair on the BBC Live Tour which travelled around the UK.
Festive injury
Tragedy struck the BBC show once again in November 2024 when pro dancer Carlos Gu was forced to withdraw from the Christmas special.
In the lead up to the festive special, it was announced that the 32-year-old would be competing with Vogue Williams on the TV special which aired on Christmas Day. But days after the news hit the headlines, Carlos suffered an injury and was replaced by fellow pro dancer Gorka Marquez.
A Strictly spokesperson confirmed at the time: “Unfortunately, professional dancer Carlos Gu has sustained an ankle injury so is unable to participate in the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special alongside contestant Vogue Williams.
“Fellow professional dancer Gorka Marquez will be stepping in for him and dancing with Vogue. We all wish him a speedy recovery.”
Although Carlos did not share an update on his injury, he did make an appearance on the dancefloor dressed up to the nines in drag as he was lowered to the ground for the Musicals Week number.
It appears as though he has made a full recovery after the ballroom dancer was seen performing alongside the rest of the cast on the UK tour.
