Jaime Winstone’s injury absence from Strictly Come Dancing was addressed by the presenting team as week seven of the BBC One contest got under way.
The actress, 41, has been advised to rest after tearing an abdominal muscle. Under the programme’s rules, she and her professional partner Carlos Gu will receive a bye into next week, when they are expected to return if she has recovered sufficiently.
Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe sent their best wishes to Winstone during Saturday night’s show. After Josh explained how the rules applied to her absence, Emma said: “We miss you so much, we’re sending you all our love and hope you get better soon.”
Winstone, who has already survived three dance-offs, announced on Wednesday that she was unable to perform because of the injury.
“I am absolutely devastated not to be dancing this weekend due to a torn abdominal muscle,” she said. “I am in considerable pain, and my doctors have advised complete rest to give my body the best possible chance to heal.”
She added: “As frustrating as it is, I have to put my health first and follow their advice to step away from dancing this week.”
Winstone said she loved performing with Gu and was “praying for a speedy recovery” so she could continue in the competition, thanking viewers for their support and wishing the other contestants “luck, love and strength” for the show.
Strictly Come Dancing week seven performances
Will Best and Dianne Buswell opened the evening with a Quickstep to This Love by Maroon 5. Despite pearls falling from Buswell’s dress during a wardrobe mishap, they scored 29 points.
Craig Revel Horwood noted a slight improvement in Best’s ballroom performance, while praising his energy, and Motsi Mabuse complimented his showmanship.
Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola followed with a Rumba to Coldplay’s Yellow, after topping the leaderboard the previous week with their Charleston. Turner performed a leg lift during the routine and the pair received 30 points.
Anton Du Beke called it “the sort of rumba I like”, while Shirley Ballas said Turner was “much better than you think”. Craig described the performance as “absolutely gaw-jus”.
Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington then performed a Cha Cha to Jennifer Lopez’s Let’s Get Loud. The routine earned 31 points, although the judges said the pair needed to improve their spins and coordination.
The Strictly Come Dancing results show on Sunday is due to feature a special group performance by the professional dancers to mark Remembrance Sunday.
