Professional Strictly Come Dancing star Carlos Gu has been forced to pull out of this year’s Christmas Special after sustaining an injury.
Gu had been partnered with TV presenter Vogue Williams for the special show, but the Chinese dancer will now be replaced by Gorka Marquez instead.
Gu reportedly suffered an ankle injury in the build-up to the Christmas show, which will air on BBC One and iPlayer on Christmas Day. The dancer has previously been partnered with Angela Scanlon and Molly Rainford on the main Strictly show.
In a statement, a BBC spokesperson 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.
“Fellow professional dancer, Gorka Marquez will be stepping in for him and dancing with Vogue. We all wish him a speedy recovery.”
Williams, who is the partner of Made in Chelsea’sSpencer Matthews, will be one of six celebrities taking part in the Christmas special.
She’ll be joined by racing driver Billy Monger, comedian Josh Widdicombe, athlete and Gladiators star Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, EastEnders star Tamzin Outhwaite and drag artist Tayce Szura-Radix as the show’s celebrity contestants.
Her replacement partner Marquez, 34, has finished as a runner-up on the main series of the BBC dancing show on three occasions, partnered with singer Alexandra Burke in 2017, actor Maisie Smith in 2020, and TV presenter Helen Skelton in 2022.
The one-off show will see the six celebrities perform Christmas-themed routines as they compete to be named Strictly Christmas Champion.
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Previous winners of the Christmas special have included singer Anne-Marie and EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick, the latter of which entered the full competition this year.
Borthwick quickly became a favourite on the show and impressed with his partner Michelle Tsiakkas. However, he was eliminated after 10 weeks in the competition in a moment which angered a lot of fans.
On the 24 November results show, Tsiakkas, along with Gladiators athlete Montell Douglas and her partner Johannes Radebe were voted into the dreaded dance-off.
Ultimately, the judges voted unanimously to save Douglas and Radebe, meaning that Borthwick and Tsiakkas were sent out of the competition.
The Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Christmas Day.
Additional reporting by PA.