Strictly Come Dancing’s Nigel Harman looks glum while making his way to show’s studios just hours after announcing his exit from the competition on medical grounds
- READ MORE: Nigel Harman QUITS Strictly Come Dancing just hours before live show after ‘sustaining an injury’
- READ MORE: Strictly Come Dancing fans beg producers to ‘cancel elimination’ and bring back Angela Scanlon
Devastated Nigel Harman was seen looking glum as he made his way to Strictly’s Elstree studios just hours after it was announced he had been forced to quit the show.
Dressed smartly in turn up jeans, a dark coat and suit shoes with his hair combed back, Nigel, 50, got into a taxi alone to take him to be reunited with dance partner Katya Jones where the pair of them are expected to explain the reason behind the actor quitting.
Despite his trip back to the Hertfordshire studios to see his Strictly co-stars, the former Downton Abbey star appeared to be down in the dumps as he left his home in Twickenham, South West London which he shares with wife Lucy Liemann, clutching a suit bag and a navy rucksack.
Nigel’s suit appeared to be from Savile Row tailor Chris Kerr which describes itself as ‘a bespoke tailor in the strictest Savile Row tradition’.
An onlooker said: ‘Nigel didn’t exactly look very happy, it has been quite a 24 hours for him. He didn’t crack a smile despite going back to see the Strictly family.’
Devastated Nigel Harman was seen looking glum as he made his way to Strictly’s Elstree studios just hours after it was announced he had been forced to quit the show
Dressed smartly in turn up jeans, a dark coat and suit shoes with his hair combed back, Nigel, 50, got into a taxi alone
He is to be reunited with dance partner Katya Jones where the pair of them are expected to explain the reason behind the actor quitting
He and Katya were due to perform a Charleston to Step in Time from Mary Poppins as part of the programme’s ‘musicals week.’
Earlier in the day Katya was seen rehearsing alone on Saturday morning, just hours before BBC bosses confirmed that he was leaving the show. It is understood that his final rehearsal session was on Friday.
Nigel’s exit from the show comes a week after ‘steamy’ photographs emerged of him and Katya practising their moves of their steamy Rumba routine at a North London studio.
Sources close to the pair say that they had been ‘training late every night’ last week in a bid to remain in the competition and make it to next week’s semi-finals.
One said: ‘They’ve been training since last weekend, they were determined to stay in the competition.
‘They were starting early and finishing late, they knew they were in with a chance of winning so they were giving it their all. It’s very sad for them both.’
Just one day before his exit, Nigel had discussed how gruelling the fast-paced Charleston had been on his body and admitted he was very worn out.
During an appearance on Steph’s Packed Lunch on Thursday, the star said he would be ‘impressed’ if he was still standing after the difficult routine.
Despite his trip back to the Hertfordshire studios to see his Strictly co-stars, the former Downton Abbey star appeared to be down in the dumps as he left his home in Twickenham
Nigel’s suit appeared to be from Savile Row tailor Chris Kerr which describes itself as ‘a bespoke tailor in the strictest Savile Row tradition’
An onlooker said: ‘Nigel didn’t exactly look very happy, it has been quite a 24 hours for him. He didn’t crack a smile despite going back to see the Strictly family’
He and Katya were due to perform a Charleston to Step in Time from Mary Poppins as part of the programme’s ‘musicals week’
BBC bosses confirmed that he was leaving the show on Saturday. It is understood that his final rehearsal session was on Friday
‘Every time we finish this routine, I’m literally on an oxygen mask for about five minutes. If I’m still standing by the end of Saturday night, I’ll be impressed,’ he said.
Katya was seen rehearsing alone ahead of Strictly Come Dancing’s live show on Saturday, just moments before her partner Nigel Harman was forced to quit.
The dancer, 34, and the actor, 50, were gearing up to perform a Charleston to Step in Time from Mary Poppins for the quarter finals when disaster struck.
Nigel has now to pull out of the BBC dance contest on medical grounds after sustaining an injury, which is said to have left him ‘really disappointed’.
Katya was seen on the phone as she attended rehearsals at Elstree Film Studios in Hertfordshire.
She wore a fitted long sleeve black top with a pair of hot pink printed leggings and her hair pulled back from her face.
Nigel’s exit leaves just Ellie Leach, Bobby Brazier, Layton Williams and Annabel Croft still left in the contest battling it out in a bid to win the iconic glitterball trophy.
Nigel quit Strictly Come Dancing just hours before Saturday night’s live show after sustaining an injury.
Sources close to the pair say that they had been ‘training late every night’ last week in a bid to remain in the competition and make it to next week’s semi-finals
Nigel has now to pull out of the BBC dance contest on medical grounds after sustaining an injury , which is said to have left him ‘really disappointed
Katya Jones, 34, was seen rehearsing alone ahead of Strictly Come Dancing’s live show on Saturday, just moments before her partner Nigel Harman was forced to quit
The dancer, 34, and the actor, 50, were gearing up to perform a Charleston to Step in Time from Mary Poppins for the quarter finals when disaster struck.
The dancer and the actor were gearing up to perform a Charleston to Step in Time from Mary Poppins for the quarter finals when disaster struck (pictured last week)
The BBC confirmed to MailOnline: ‘Unfortunately Nigel has sustained an injury which means he is unable to perform in tonight’s show and has had to withdraw from Strictly.’
‘We wish Nigel a speedy recovery and they both will be very much missed by our entire Strictly family,’ the official Strictly Instagram account added in a post confirming his departure.
Just one day before his exit, Nigel had discussed how gruelling the fast-paced Charleston had been on his body and admitted he was very worn out, while pictures from Friday also showed him rehearsing in the studio for the fast-paced routine.
Nigel had opened up about his love of musicals during an appearance on It Takes Two on Friday and seemed in good spirits about the extravagant routine.
He told host Fleur East: ‘I just love musicals, I love the singing and dancing and the heightened emotions of it all. We’ve got this banger this week, it’s full on showbiz.’
He added: ‘There’s leaps, there’s carries and we’re flying around and I end up needing oxygen every time I do it. It’s full on but it’s exciting.’
Katya was seen on the phone as she attended rehearsals at Elstree Film Studios in Hertfordshire
She wore a fitted long sleeve black top with a pair of hot pink printed leggings and her hair pulled back from her face
Nigel has had to pull out of the dance contest on medical grounds after sustaining an injury, the BBC confirmed
‘I’m not gonna lie, the Rumba just sort of mincing around wafting my hips in a general direction with some arms was lovely, maybe one bead of sweat.
‘This week, St John’s ambulance are on standby.’
Had Nigel remained with the show and gone through to the next round, he would have made it to the semi-finals and hinted he would have struggled to learn two routines in one week.
He said: ‘Two dances in a week, I hear it’s possible but I’m just going to walk blindly with it and pretend that everything is fine!’
Nigel – who is married to Lucy Liemann – reportedly missed training on Saturday morning, while Katya was seen in attendance, after working ‘really hard’ in rehearsals to try and secure a place in the final.
A source told The Sun: ‘Nigel wasn’t in training this morning, and other dancers were informed later on in the day. He and Katya were really disappointed as they were hoping to stay in the competition.
‘They hadn’t been in the bottom two so had a real chance of making it to the finals. Nigel has been training really hard and really through himself into rehearsals.’
Nigel has not yet expanded on his departure from the show, but simply shared the official Strictly statement to his own Instagram Stories.
Nigel Harman joked he had St John’s Ambulance ‘on standby’ and he would be surprised if he ‘was still standing’ less than a day before he was forced to quit Strictly Come Dancing
During an appearance on Steph’s Packed Lunch earlier this week, Nigel said he would be ‘impressed’ if he was still standing after the difficult routine.
‘Every time we finish this routine, I’m literally on an oxygen mask for about five minutes. If I’m still standing by the end of Saturday night, I’ll be impressed,’ he said.
After weeks of intense dance training, the actor previously admitted he was seeing changes in his body, and had gone from fearing aches and pains to embracing the physical challenge.
He said: ‘I am definitely noticing the difference.
‘The first 3-4 weeks were really hard… it was like being run over by a train every day and now I have gone through the niggles and the injuries, and my body seems be returning and I feel much stronger and much more durable.
‘When you first start this show whenever you get a strain, you think “oh my gosh, I may not ever walk again” and you think it’s disastrous and then you realise it’s just part and parcel of doing the show.
‘Every day when I get out of bed there’s all sorts of old man groaning going on. I am really enjoying the physical side of it, and I actively look forward to it.’
However, Nigel said he had no intention of continuing dancing once his Strictly experience is over, insisting: ‘I have no plans to carry, but I do really enjoy it!’
Nigel was filmed storming off the dancefloor after receiving a disappointing score for his performance in Blackpool two weeks ago
He and his professional dance partner Katya’s routine to Duke Ellington’s It Don’t Mean A Thing left them second from bottom of the judges’ leaderboard, with a score of 31 points out of 40
Nigel was filmed storming off the dancefloor after receiving a disappointing score for his performance in Blackpool two weeks ago.
He and his professional dance partner Katya’s routine to Duke Ellington’s It Don’t Mean A Thing left them second from bottom of the judges’ leaderboard, with a score of 31 points out of 40.
In a video shared to social media, Nigel was seen swiftly exiting the dancefloor, just seconds after the BBC cameras stopped shooting.
Katya appeared confused and briefly stood still before following, while other contestants happily danced and hugged.
Katya appeared confused and briefly stood still before following, while other contestants happily danced and hugged.
The audience member who shared the video to Twitter also wrote: ‘Are #Strictly judges proud of themselves? Nigel’s been broken tonight, couldn’t even face the keep dancing once theme & cameras stopped.
‘Taken (sic) away someone’s love of dance & confidence should not be what show is about.’
MailOnline contacted Nigel’s representatives.
Strictly star Nigel gushed over the ‘joyful hours’ he and dance partner Katya Jones spend together ‘laughing a lot’ as they rehearse for the BBC show
It came after Nigel gushed over the ‘joyful hours’ he and dance partner Katya spent together ‘laughing a lot’ as they rehearse for the BBC show.
Speaking about their bond, Nigel said: ‘I love working with Kats, she is so intuitive as a teacher, choreographer and person, we spend hours together and it’s joyful, we laugh a lot, and we get a lot of things done.
‘She’s making me into a better dancer, I don’t know how she’s doing it but she is.
‘Do I find her strict? I don’t think I do, no. Sometimes I need a bit of discipline because if you’re not careful I’ll start rambling about anything just to distract her, so I don’t have to dance.’
Nigel revealed that his wife Lucy and his daughter, whose name and age is unknown, were supportive throughout, even joining him in the training room each week to get a sneak peek of their performance.
He said: ‘My family are really enjoying it, they come to the rehearsal room every Wednesday after school and they watch us dance, they bought the dog this week, it’s one of the loveliest things and a gift about this show is how much you can involve your family and how they can come along and support.
‘They send me out with a packed lunch every day. My daughter the other day made me a smoothie to put in the fridge before she went to bed because she was worried, she wouldn’t be awake by the time I had to leave. It’s those moments I cherish.’
Strictly fans begged producers to ‘cancel this weekend’s elimination’ after Nigel was forced to quit just hours before live show.
Viewers questioned if Sunday’s planned elimination will still go ahead while some called for Angela Scanlon to return following her departure last week.
Others also questioned whether there will still be a public vote after Nigel’s exit or if the date of the final, set for December 16, will change.
One fan wrote on Twitter: ‘Absolutely gutted for him. He was heading to the final for sure. Speedy recovery Nigel.’
Another posted: ‘I’m so upset for him I liked him,’ a third commented: ‘OMG I’m so gutted he was my favourite dancer.’
A fourth commented: ‘Thats such a shame I’m gutted for Katya too as he’s been her best contestant ages,’ and a fifth remarked: ‘That’s very sad after all his hard work.’
While another questioned: ‘Surely they need to stop an elimination next week then? 2 in a final doesn’t work.’
Another added: ‘Please cancel tonight’s elimination, having a two person final is horrendously boring and anti-climactic.’
Fans of the series have questioned if Sunday’s planned elimination will still go ahead while some called for Angela Scanlon (pictured) to return following her departure last week
STRICTLY COME DANCING 2023: THE CONTESTANTS’ PROFILES
Layton Williams
Age: 28
Profession: Actor
Layton says: ‘Absolutely buzzing to confirm that I will be taking part in THE most iconic dance competition in the UK! It’s time to bring it to the Ballroom. So excited to learn new skills from the best. Bring on the sequins… ALL the sequins!’
Ellie Leach
Age: 22
Profession: Coronation Street star
Ellie says: ‘It still doesn’t feel real that I’m going to be doing Strictly!! It’s always been a dream of mine so I guess dreams really do come true!!!!’
Bobby Brazier
Age: 20
Profession: EastEnders star and model
Bobby says: ‘I’m so excited to be part of the Strictly line up, I can’t wait to start training like a professional dancer and adding a few moves to my locker. I’m looking forward to performing in-front of everyone.’
Annabel Croft
Age: 57
Profession: Broadcaster and ex tennis player
Annabel says: ‘I have always loved watching Strictly and can’t quite believe I’m going to be part of this magical show – swapping tennis balls for glitter balls and looking forward to finding some joyfulness in the process.’
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