Dani Dyer reveals she’d ‘love’ another chance at Strictly Come Dancing after quitting due to injury

Dani Dyer has revealed she’d “love” to have another shot at Strictly Come Dancing, after being forced to quit the most recent series due to injury.

The former Love Islander was paired with professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin but the duo never actually got to compete together, as Dyer fractured her ankle before the first live show.

Addressing the fact that her Strictly journey was cut short, Dyer has now said: “I’d love to do it again.”

“If they rang me, I’d answer the phone,” she added, during an interview on The Jonathan Ross Show that airs on Saturday (21 February). “I was devastated. It was hell for me when I hurt my foot, I was so sad.”

Dyer is appearing on the ITV talk show alongside her dad, Danny, to promote their new programme, The Dyers' Caravan Park, which sees the pair try to restore a caravan park to its former glory.

There is a precedent for injured Strictly stars getting a second chance. Jamie Laing was also forced to pull out of the competition before delivering a full performance back in 2019, after suffering an injury while filming the launch show. He gave it another go in 2020 – and made it to the final.

Announcing her Strictly exit last September, Dyer told fans: “The doctors have said I am not allowed to dance so l’ve had to pull out of the show. To say I’m heartbroken is the biggest understatement.”

She was replaced by fellow Love Island alumna Amber Davies, who had less than 48 hours to prepare before the first live show.

Davies wasted no time in impressing the judges and cementing herself as a serious contender – but the 29-year-old struggled to win over some viewers, with many claiming her West End career gave her an unfair advantage.

The criticism intensified in the run-up to the final and Davies’ professional partner said she was receiving “hate every single day”.

Making an impassioned speech during the live semi-final, Kuzmin said Davies nevertheless “came every single day into the training room with a big smile, ignoring everybody”.

“You were always so kind, you’re so caring,” he added, becoming tearful. “You care more about me when I’m supposed to care about you. You care about me every single day. You are such a lovely, positive person.”

Addressing Strictly fans at home, Kuzmin pleaded: “Please, please be kind because it costs nothing and you don’t deserve none of that.”

The pair were the highest-scoring couple in the following Saturday’s live final, receiving a near-perfect 118 out of a possible 120 after performing their three dances – but Davies missed out on the Glitterball, which was won by ex-England player Karen Carney.

The Jonathan Ross Show airs on Saturday at 9.25pm on ITV1 and ITVX.