Strictly Come Dancing 2025: Will Dani Dyer be replaced? Waterloo Road star Tillie Amartey 'rules out joining show'

The former Love Island winner was set to take to the dancefloor with pro-partner Nikita Kuzmin as the competition gets underway this weekend. But she broke the news on social media yesterday that she was “heartbroken” over being forced to withdraw after suffering from a fractured ankle in training.

Dani said in an update to fans: “I had a fall on Friday in rehearsals and landed funny. 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. To say I’m heartbroken is the biggest understatement. I am so going to miss dancing with Nikita but will of course be watching closely and cheering all the couples on.”

Dani’s withdrawal has sparked rumours that another star could come in to replace her, as has been the process in previous years. Jamie Laing, who later returned to the show for a full run at the trophy, withdraw before the competition kicked off due to a tendon injury and was replaced by former Emmerdale actor Kelvin Fletcher, who went on to win the series.

One name that has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Dani is Waterloo Road actress Tillie Amartey. The 22-year-old previously took part in the 2023 Christmas special alongside pro-partner Neil Jones, missing out on the festive trophy to EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick, who would go on to appear in the full 2024 series.

An insider reportedly told The Sun that a stint on Strictly could be on the card for Tillie after she recently quit her role on the BBC school drama series. They said: “Tillie recently quit her role on Waterloo Road telling pals it was to make way for 'another big' project, which could be a game changer for her career.

“She's been making several trips from her Leeds home to London for discussions with TV execs in recent weeks. The feeling is that if she is filling the shoes vacated by Dani, the programme needs another young, glam woman to take her spot.

“There is already an imbalance in the genders among the celebrities as there are nine men taking part and six women. It's essential the number of females taking part doesn't drop further, and they want to try and maintain a similar balance in terms of the variety of ages too.”

However, the Daily Mail has seemingly rubbished claims that Tillie is replacing the Dani on the show. A source told the newspaper that the actress “hasn’t had any contact with Strictly Come Dancing”. They added that a decision on whether Dani will be replaced has not yet been taken by bosses.