Strictly Come Dancing: EastEnders actress Balvinder Sopal reveals 'something popped' in rehearsal amid injury days before launch
A celebrity due to take part in this year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing has revealed that “something popped” in rehearsal just days before the series launch.
EastEnders actress Balvinder Sopal is set to take to the dancefloor as part of this year’s group of celebrity contestants. She is due to appear during Saturday night’s launch show, where viewers will find out who has been partnered up for this year’s competition.
However, before scenes air on Saturday night, Balvinder took to social media where she revealed that she has sustained an injury in training in the run-up to her dancefloor debut. She told followers in a video posted to Instagram: “So it's the second day of training and I'm at physio. Something popped and I'm here to find out what exactly.
“I'm fine, everything is okay. I can still walk and still move but my left glute, my left hip is feeling a little tight and uneasy, so I'm going to get someone to look at it.”
The actress, who plays Suki Panesar-Unwin on the BBC soap, added that her training so far for Strictly is “the hardest I’ve ever worked”. She said: “The pros are incredible, superhuman, literal gods honestly. The way they move, the way they teach you it's just brilliant and I'm loving every single second of it.
“But I'm just going to get checked out by the physio. I hope they go easy on me. But yeah, second day training.”
In a further update to fans, she posted a picture of herself after returning to training on day three with the caption: “Day three training done! Hip/glute all good - just tight. Thank you for all your messages of love and support. We kept dancing.”
Balvinder is set to be joined on the Strictly dancefloor by stars such as Dani Dyer, Thomas Skinner, Chris Robshaw, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, and Vicky Pattison among many others.
Blavinder’s injury comes after professional dancer Nadiya Bychkova was rushed to hospital during rehearsals for the series last month. The Ukrainian dancer was taken to A&E after landing on her back during a routine. She was given an x-ray and later discharged from hospital, telling followers on Instagram: “I was really worried for a while and I was so thankful to the Strictly family and medical team who really looked after me. The staff at the hospital were so kind and caring.”
Strictly Come Dancing 2025 begins at 6.40pm on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer this Saturday (September 20).