Strictly Come Dancing: Craig Revel Horwood to miss show after testing positive for Covid-19

Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood has tested positive for Covid-19 and will miss this weekend’s episode.

The 56-year-old judge was confirmed by the BBC to have tested positive for the virus after the most recent episode of the popular show.

At a glance: 5 key points

• Craig Revel Horwood has tested positive for Covid-19
• The judge will be forced to miss this week’s musical episode as a result
• The BBC say that Horwood is now self-isolating in line with government guidelines 
• Horwood is expected to return to the show the following week after completing his self-isolation period
• The positive results the latest in a long line of Covid-related issue which has hit the series so far

Horwood tests positive

In a statement, a Strictly Come Dancing spokesperson said: “Craig Revel Horwood has tested positive for Covid-19 and is now self-isolating following the latest government guidelines.

“While Craig will not be taking part in Strictly Come Dancing this weekend, all being well he will return the following week.”

As a result, the dancing judge will miss out in the highly-anticipated Musical’s Week of the reality competition show.

It is as yet unknown whether a replacement will take Horwood’s place on the panel for Musical’s Week.

Strictly Come Dancing’s It Takes Two host Rylan Clark-Neal sent well wishes to Horwood, opening the companion show with a message to him.

Rylan siad: “We are sending you all our love and we can’t wait to see you, really soon.”

More Covid nightmares for Strictly

Horwood’s positive test is the latest in a run of Covid-related bad news for the show.

Loose Women star Judi Love was most recently affected by a positive test.

Love had been scheduled to perform a cha cha to Physical by Olivia Newton-John but was forced to pull out after testing positive before the episode on 23 October.

She returned to perform her cha cha in Halloween Week and was eliminated.

McFly frontman Tom Fletcher and his dancing partner Amy Dowden had previously been forced to temporarily pull out of the show after also testing positive.

Before the start of the series, controversy surrounded the launch after it was revealed that some professional dancers had refused the Covid-19 vaccine before the start of the series, despite there being no requirement for participants to be vaccinated.

The identity of those unvaccinated was not released, with the BBC defending the dancers’ decision to choose not to take the vaccine.

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