Strictly Come Dancing Eyes Tillie Amartey to Step In After Dani Dyer’s Shock Exit
The Strictly Come Dancing dancefloor could soon welcome Waterloo Road actress Tillie Amartey, following a dramatic shake-up to this year’s line-up.
The 22- time-old rising star is reportedly in advanced talks to replace Dani Dyer, who was forced to bow out of the BBC competition after an unforeseen injury.
The news broke late on Monday night after Dyer verified that she had suffered a serious ankle fracture during practices.
The former Love Island winner, who was set to dance alongside Nikita Kuzmin, revealed the heartbreaking reversal on Instagram.
“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,” Dani explained.
“Apparently, doing the quickstep on a fracture is not advisable (!!), and the doctors have said I am not allowed to dance, so I’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 Nikit, but will of course be watching closely and cheering all the couples on.”
According to insiders, Amartey is the BBC’s top choice to fill the coveted spot. A source told The Sun: “Tillie recently quit her role on Waterloo Road, telling pals it was to make way for ‘another big’ project, which could be a game changer for her career.
She’s been making several trips from her Leeds home to London for discussions with TV execs in recent weeks. The feeling is that if she is filling the shoes vacated by Dani, the programme needs another young, glam woman to take her spot.”
Producers are reportedly keen to keep the show balanced. “There is already an imbalance in the genders among the celebrities as there are nine men taking part and six women.
It’s essential that the number of females taking part doesn’t drop further, and they want to try and maintain a similar balance in terms of the variety of ages too,” the insider added.
If confirmed, this won’t be Amartey’s first twirl under the Strictly glitterball. She preliminarily lit up the bottom in the show’s 2023 Christmas special, where she performed alongside pro cotillion Graziano Di Prima.
While fans wait for official confirmation, the BBC is remaining cautious. A spokesperson said only: “We’ve nothing further to add to the statement currently.”
Known for her role as Stacey Neville in the academy drama Waterloo Road, Amartey’s imminent move to Strictly Come Dancing marks another milestone in her fast-rising career.
Assiduity watchers believe the high-time niche could propel her into a new league of UK TV stardom. For observers, the preamble continues.
The first live show is set to air this Saturday( 27 September) at 6.55 pm on BBC One, with suckers now eagerly waiting to see whether Tillie Amartey will step into the sequins and seize the limelight.
