Strictly Come Dancing star Nikita Kuzmin has shared an emotional post on Instagram after his celebrity partner Dani Dyer announced she was withdrawing from the competition following a nasty injury. Nikita took to the social media platform this evening to share a series of sweet snaps of himself and the former Love Island star during rehearsals for Strictly's upcoming live show, which is taking place this Saturday evening.

Under the pictures of the smiling couple, he shared a heartwrenching update about Dani stepping down from the competition. He wrote: "So so gutted to have finished our journey before it even properly started. The amount of laughs and fun we had in this short time was unbelievable! Really loved our partnership and hope that one day we can actually get to week 1 lol but, health is the most important thing."

The 27-year-old added: "I’m wishing you the absolute best @danidyerxx. You’re so lovely, positive and a wonderful human being!! And it breaks my heart knowing how excited you were to do your absolute best on the show! Hopefully we can pick up next year."

The final part of his comment indicated that he and Dani might be able to take part in the 2026 series of Strictly Come Dancing—however, the BBC has not confirmed this.

Dani, who is the daughter of EastEnders star Danny Dyer, announced she was pulling out of Strictly on Tuesday evening, with the news leaving her supporters gutted.

She wrote: "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 l’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."

Sarah James, Executive Producer at BBC Studios said in response to the crushing blow for Dani and Nikita: “Dani has brought so much passion, joy and enthusiasm to Strictly, and her partnership with Nikita was off to the most sensational start.

"Everyone on the show is incredibly sad that she's no longer able to compete in this year's series. We send her all our love and best wishes for a swift recovery, and we very much hope to welcome her back to the ballroom in the future."

Many Strictly stars, including last year's winner Dianne Buswell and head judge Shirley Ballas send Dani and Nikita their condolences on their original Instagram post.

Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One at 6.55pm on Saturday.