The tweet from BBC Strictly said, “Sadly due to injury AJ and Kai have had to withdraw from #Strictly and won’t compete in tomorrow’s final. We want to thank them for 13 incredible weeks on the show and the pure joy they brought to the dance floor every week.”
AJ Odudu on her twitter account said, “I’ve had ultrasounds, MRI Scans and x-rays. I’ve had two incisions to drain the inflammation around my ankle. I’ve injected local anesthetic directly into my foot, I have been strapped up to an ice compression machine for days. I’ve done all I can possibly do to get back on my feet for @bbcstrictly final, I even asked the docs if I could perform a medicinal moonbot! But the fact is, I can’t stand on my feet let alone dance because I’ve torn my spring ligament”.
When the episode first aired on BBC One this evening, it was supposed to start at 7pm and last for 125 minutes. It has now been moved to 8pm.
Odudu, Rose Ayling-Ellis from EastEnders, and John Whaite from Great British Bake Off were the three remaining contestants in the hit reality show. Each was set to perform 3 dance routines in the final.
However, after AJ Odudu got hurt, she had to leave the show. The show is still going on, but there are three less routines.
There will now be an hour and a half less of the episode’s runtime. The show will now start at 7:10 pm and end at 9:15 pm.
Odudu broke down in tears when she talked about the injury on the show, It Takes Two. She said that she is now not able to stand on her right foot and the pain came on so quickly that she vomited during rehearsals.
Ugo Monye and Tom Fletcher both had to miss a week because they were hurt, but they were able to play the next week.
Another person who got Covid-19 had to miss a week of work. Sara Davies was also sick.
She is currently the favorite to win the Glitterball in 2022.