Strictly Come Dancing returned for the highly anticipated Halloween week, and while Bruno Tonioli has taken his seat back at the judging table, two dancers are not on the show this week. Will Bailey did not dance on Saturday night as he suffered a knee injury during training, and professional Neil Jones is also absent, with Kevin Clifton taking over and dancing with footballer Alex Scott.
Claudia Winkleman confirmed the news as Strictly began on BBC One.
She said: “Now, you may have noticed that Will and Janette are missing from tonight’s line-up.
“Unfortunately, Will suffered a knee injury and although he was desperate to take part tonight, after a full medical check he has been told he absolutely cannot perform and must rest.”
Tess Daley said she knew Will would be watching at home and wished him a speedy recovery.
Why is Neil Jones not dancing with Alex Scott on Strictly tonight?
Tess confirmed Neil’s absence from tonight’s show, saying: “Unfortunately, he also suffered an injury earlier today and is unable to dance tonight.
“Fortunately, the brilliant Kevin is stepping in to perform with Alex.”
Neil wasn’t seen coming down the steps as the celebrities and their partners were introduced this evening, instead, Kevin Clifton was partnered with footballer Alex Scott.
Claudia and Tess revealed the Strictly professional had suffered an injury.
“Kevin Clifton has stepped in to partner Alex in tonight’s show.”
It is couples choice for Alex tonight, and she and Neil had chosen to dance (Street/Commercial) to Ghostbusters by Ray Parker Jr.
Alex and replacement partner Kevin were seen in full Ghostbuster costume as they came down the steps at the beginning of the show.
Speaking to Claudia, Kevin who won last year’s series alongside Stacey Dooley, joked that he was happy to step in for injured Neil Jones because it offered him a second chance to make the final.
When Claudia asked how he felt about stepping in with just a few hours’ notice, he replied: “Well I’ve got to get in the final one way or another, haven’t I?
“But no. This is not about me. This is about Alex and she has been so amazing. For a couple of hours she has been guiding me through the routine.
“This is a real test for her and I am just going to do my best for you and for Neil.”
Alex said: “He’s been amazing already.”
After Alex’s performance with Kevin, Neil tweeted: “Proud is not the word. @AlexScott just went out their under pressure and smashed that routine.
“@kevicliftonthank you so much for what you have done tonight it means a lot to me #strictly #teamred”.
The pair managed an impressive score of 7, 9, 9, 9 for a total of 34 points, despite Kevin confessing to “blanking” in the middle of the performance.
This placed the pair third on the leaderboard.
