The BBC announced on Saturday that Carlos Gu will no longer be participating in the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special this year as he has sustained an ankle injury.
Earlier this month, it was revealed that the professional dancer, 31, would be dancing with contestant Vogue Williams, 39.
However, he has had no choice but to pull out from the show and fellow professional dancer Gorka Márquez will reportedly be stepping in as his replacement.
A spokesperson for the BBC show said: ‘Unfortunately, professional dancer, Carlos Gu, has sustained an ankle injury so is unable to participate in the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special alongside contestant Vogue Williams.’
They added: ‘Fellow professional dancer, Gorka Márquez will be stepping in for him and dancing with Vogue. We all wish him a speedy recovery.’
It comes after the full line-up for the Strictly Christmas special was revealed last week with Billy Monger completing the star-studded group.
The BBC announced on Saturday that Carlos Gu will no longer be participating in the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special this year as he has sustained an ankle injury
Earlier this month, it was revealed that the professional dancer, 31, would be dancing with contestant Vogue Williams, 39
He will be paired with Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Nadiya Bychkova.
Billy is a racing driver and TV presenter and has scored podiums in British Formula 3 and followed in Lewis Hamilton‘s footsteps by winning the Pau Grand Prix in European Formula 3.
He was critically injured in a high-speed collision while racing in Formula 4 which left him with both legs amputated.
Despite this, Billy refused to give up on his racing career, lobbying to allow both disabled and non-disabled drivers to race alongside each other.
Billy Monger said: ‘I’ve spent the last 12 months training 20 hours a week for an Ironman world record attempt, but the thought of donning sequins in front of Craig Revel Horwood fills me with a fear I’ve never experienced before.’
‘This is about as far from my comfort zone as it can get! My family are big Strictly fans, so I’m doing it for them and to raise awareness for what I’m doing for Comic Relief next year.’
‘I’m just hoping my leg doesn’t fall off mid-dance!’
In the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special, each of the six couples will perform a festive fuelled routine in the hope of impressing the judges, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and Head Judge Shirley Ballas, and the voting studio audience.
However, he has had no choice but to pull out from the show and fellow professional dancer Gorka Márquez will reportedly be stepping in as his replacement
The Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special will air on Christmas Day on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
The news of Carlos pulling out of the show comes after he broke his silence on his fallout with his co-star Nancy Xu.
The professional dancers, who both grew up in China, have been close since childhood but were refusing to speak and unfollowed each other on social media.
It was claimed that tensions sparked between the formerly close pals when Carlos was left disappointed after he didn’t get paired with a celebrity in this series.
Speaking to The Daily Mail‘s Richard Eden earlier this month, for the first time after their row, Carlos insisted the pair ‘are fine.’
He said: ‘We’re fine. We’ve been friends since childhood, and friends argue, we’re too close and are like brother and sister to completely fall out.’
It comes after the full line-up for the Strictly Christmas special was revealed last week with Billy Monger completing the star-studded group
An insider told The Sun earlier this month: ‘The feud between Nancy and Carlos is really sad and has left everyone really shocked.’
‘They’ve been close since childhood, but have fallen out and unfollowed each other on socials.’
Meanwhile, a separate source told MailOnline: ‘Both Carols and Nancy are extremely cordial and always incredibly professional on Strictly premises.’
MailOnline has contacted the dancer’s representative and the BBC for comment.