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Dani Dyer admits it's "daunting" to return to Strictly after her injury as she and Nikita Kuzmin reunite
Dani and Nikita are back on the dance floor!
- Katelyn Mensah
Published: Saturday, 26 September 2026 at 1:00 pm
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Dani Dyer is heading back out into the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom, one year on from when she was forced to withdraw following an injury.
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Ahead of the first live show last year, Dani announced she had fractured her ankle during rehearsals and was no longer able to compete in the series.
Now, she's back and reunited with Nikita Kuzmin – and they are taking every precaution to make sure they make it through the competition.
Admittedly for Dani, returning to the training room and dancefloor is "daunting", but she and Nikita plan to remain as positive as possible.
"I know injuries happen, but I don't think you ever really think it's going to happen to you," Dani exclusively told Radio Times.
"So yeah, it is a bit daunting, of course. I'm an anxious Annie anyway but it's fine, we're gonna be fine. We're gonna do the ankle exercises every day."
Dani Dyer. BBC/Ray Burmiston/BBC Creative
Dani continued: "I've been strengthening it and it's really good. I've had [footballer husband] Jarrod [Bowen] at home, who has had injuries before so he's like, 'You've just gotta come back fitter and stronger.' You should see my regimen!"
With the new launch show twist, Dani and Nikita didn't know if they would be paired together again, but were certainly happy when it was revealed they'd get to dance together.
Nikita told Radio Times: "Honestly, [it's] the best feeling ever. Dani is such a lovely and joyous person to be around, and when you ever ask any person, anyone around, they always ask, 'So how is Dani? How is she?' Everybody says she's just a fantastic person.
"She's so lovely. She's smiley. She's joyous. She loves every single detail. She told me about her dress today about nine times now. It was eight about five minutes ago!"
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Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday 26 September at 6:15pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
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Authors
Katelyn MensahSenior Entertainment Writer
Katelyn Mensah is the Senior Entertainment Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
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