Strictly Come Dancing’s Kym Marsh tests positive for Covid and will miss Saturday’s show

Strictly Come Dancing contestant Kym Marsh has tested positive for Covid, the BBC has confirmed.

The former Hear-Say singer, 46, will not be taking part in the hit reality TV show this weekend, but will return to the dance floor to compete the following week.

The blow comes after Marsh brought drama to the ballroom on Saturday as she performed a powerful paso doble to We Found Love by Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris, alongside her professional partner Graziano Di Prima at Blackpool’s Tower Ballroom.

A Strictly spokesperson said: “Kym Marsh has tested positive for Covid-19. As a result, Kym and Graziano will not be taking part in Strictly Come Dancing this weekend. Strictly Come Dancing protocols mean that all being well, they will return the following week.”

The live show on Saturday (19 November), which returned to Blackpool for the first time since 2019, saw the TV star move fiercely across the dancefloor accompanied by supporting dancers to land a score of 33.

Head judge Shirley Ballas said: “I feel like you are in warrior mode. You are here and you are fighting. What I loved, it was so powerful but yet you still kept the femininity.” Fellow judge Motsi Mabuse commended Marsh for her control and energy, and said the star looked “amazing”.

Last week, former Coronation Street star Marsh paid an emotional tribute to her son Archie, who died in 2009 after being born prematurely, dancing an American smooth to Chasing Cars originally by Snow Patrol.

Before taking to the stage, she said in a pre-recorded segment: “I feel like by doing this dance not only is it going to be in memory of Archie but it also hopefully might get people talking about their experiences because it is the right road to putting your life back together.” The judges praised her “fragility” and “vulnerability” but noted a mistake at the halfway point.

The Saturday show saw Kiss FM DJ Tyler West become the eighth celebrity to be eliminated from the BBC One dancing competition, having faced the dreaded dance-off against actress and singer Molly Rainford and her partner Carlos Gu.

When is the Strictly Come Dancing final?

The Strictly Come Dancing quarter and semi-final face some schedule changes in December due to the 2022 World Cup.

The international tournament is usually held over the summer so it has never clashed with the Strictly Come Dancing Schedule, but due to the extreme temperatures in host nation Qatar it has been moved to November. It means that the quarter and semi-final will be moving out of their Saturday slots for the first time in the history of the series.

A BBC spokesperson said in a statement: “Strictly Come Dancing will continue to bring glitter, glamour and glorious dancing to homes across the nation throughout the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

“The quarter final of Strictly Come Dancing will now air live on Friday 2 December and the semi-final will now air live on Sunday 11 December on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.”

It is expected that the BBC could announce further schedule changes regarding other shows over the coming weeks as the World Cup takes place from 20 November to 18 December.

As for the final of Strictly Come Dancing, it is due to take place on Saturday 17 December. This would be in line with previous years when the final has taken place the week before Christmas.

The date was confirmed on the Children in Need Twitter page as it promoted a prize draw offering entrants the chance to win tickets to the final. The tweet included a link to the prize draw which read: “You could be the lucky winner of a fab-u-lous Strictly prize which includes: Two tickets to the Strictly Come Dancing final taking place at Elstree Studios on Saturday 17th December.