Nigel Harman joked that St John’s Ambulance was on ‘standby’ and that he would be ‘surprised if it was still standing’ just hours before the shock.

Nigel Harman joked that he had St John’s Ambulance ‘on standby’ and would be surprised if it was ‘still standing’, less than a day before he was forced to quit Strictly Come Dancing.

The Casualty actor, 50, was preparing to perform a Charleston to Step in Time from Mary Poppins with his professional partner Katya Jones for the quarter-finals.

However, he subsequently had to withdraw from the BBC dancing competition for medical reasons during which he suffered an injury, which would leave him ‘very disappointed’‘.

Just hours earlier, Nigel had opened up about his love of musicals during an appearance on It Takes Two on Friday and seemed in good spirits about the extravagant routine.

He told presenter Fleur East: ‘I just love musicals, I love the singing and dancing and the heightened emotions of it. We have this stunner this week, it’s full of showbiz.

The Casualty actor, 50, prepared to perform a Charleston to Step in Time from Mary Poppins with his professional partner Katya Jones for the quarter-finals

Nigel had even opened up about his love of musicals ahead of their scheduled performance of Step in Time

He added: ‘There are jumps, there are porters and we fly around and I end up needing oxygen every time I do it. It’s full but exciting.’

‘I’m not going to lie, the Rumba was just kind of chopping around and moving my hips in a general direction with some arms was lovely, maybe a sweat drop.

‘The Sint-Jans ambulance is on standby this week.’

Had Nigel stayed on the show and progressed to the next round, he would have made it to the semi-finals and hinted that he would have struggled to learn two routines in one week.

He said, ‘Two dances in a week, I hear it’s possible, but I’m just going to walk with it blind and pretend everything is fine!’

During an appearance on Steph’s Packed Lunch, Nigel also said he would be ‘impressed’ if he was still standing after the difficult routine.

“Every time we complete this routine, I’m literally on an oxygen mask for about five minutes. If I’m still there on Saturday night, I’ll be impressed,” he said.

During the chat show, Katya had also joked about how she trained Nigel to ‘dirty’ his dancing, while presenter Steph praised his exceptional dance moves.

She said: ‘He has the poise and grace in his movements. He always makes, even the rumba, which can be quite tricky for male celebrities; it looks so effortless and natural, so you either have it or you don’t, and he definitely has it.

During an appearance on Steph’s Packed Lunch, Nigel also said he would be ‘impressed’ if he was still standing after the difficult routine

Nigel reportedly missed Saturday morning training during his departure, having worked ‘really hard’ in rehearsals to try and secure a place in the final (pictured with Katya last week)

“But we tried to deconstruct him this week and I say ‘NO’.”

Nigel intervened and said: ‘Actually I’ve been told I’m not dirty enough. I’m not dirty enough for this dance, so I’m trying to make it dirty.”

However, less than a day after those comments, Nigel – who was this week revealed as the bookies’ favorite to leave – quit the show altogether after suffering an injury.

The BBC confirmed to MailOnline: ‘Unfortunately Nigel has suffered an injury which means he will not be able to perform on tonight’s show and has had to withdraw from Strictly.’

Nigel isn’t the only star to have left the 2023 series of Strictly after Amanda Abbington – who worked with Giovanni Pernice – quit due to medical reasons in October.

Nigel reportedly missed training on Saturday morning during his departure after working ‘really hard’ during rehearsals to try and secure a place in the final.

A source said The sun: ‘Nigel was not in training this morning, other dancers were informed later in the day. He and Katya were very disappointed as they hoped to stay in the competition.

‘They were not in the bottom two and therefore had a real chance of reaching the final.

“Nigel has been training very hard and very hard during rehearsals.”

COME STRICTLY DANCE 2023: THE PROFILES OF THE PARTICIPANTS

Layton Williams

Age: 28

Profession: Actor

Layton says: ‘Absolutely exciting to confirm that I will be taking part in Britain’s most iconic dancing competition! It’s time to take it to the ballroom. I’m so excited to learn new skills from the best. Bring on the sequins… ALL the sequins!”

Age: 22

Profession: Coronation Street star

Ellie says: ‘It still doesn’t feel real that I’m going to do Strictly!! It’s always been a dream of mine, so I guess dreams really do come true!!!!’

Age: 20

Profession: EastEnders star and model

Bobby says: ‘I’m so excited to be part of the Strictly line-up, I can’t wait to start training as a professional dancer and add a few moves to my locker. I look forward to performing for everyone.”

Age: 57

Profession: Announcer and ex-tennis player

Annabel says: ‘I’ve always loved watching Strictly and can’t quite believe I’m going to be part of this magical show – swapping tennis balls for glitter balls and I’m looking forward to finding some joy in the process.’