The REAL reason Nigel Harman quit Strictly Come Dancing as soap star makes dramatic exit just hours before live show

It’s been a dramatic series of Strictly Come Dancing, and we haven’t even reached the semi-finals yet.

On Saturday, Nigel Harman became the second celebrity to withdraw from the competition after being forced to leave the dancing show for medical reasons.

The Casualty actor, 50, was due to perform a Charleston to Step in Time from Mary Poppins with his professional partner Katya Jones.

However, he unfortunately suffered an injury that forced him to withdraw from the show at the last minute, just an hour before the quarter-final live show.

With the glitter ball almost within reach, Nigel is understandably ‘very disappointed’ to have to swerve so close to the finish.

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.’

“We wish Nigel a speedy recovery and they will both be dearly missed by all our Strictly family,” the official Strictly Instagram account added in a post confirming his departure.

The Charleston is a notoriously hard dance with its fast pace and complicated tricks and movements.

And while it has not yet been confirmed what specifically caused the injury, Nigel will not be able to perform.

Just hours before his departure, Nigel discussed how hard the Charleston had been on his body and joked that the St. John’s Ambulance was on ‘standby’ during his appearance on It Takes Two.

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.

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.

Nigel – who is married to Lucy Liemann – reportedly missed training on Saturday morning, while Katya was in attendance, after working ‘really hard’ during rehearsals to 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 trained very hard and very hard during rehearsals.”

Nigel has not yet elaborated on his departure from the show, but simply shared the official Strictly statement on his own Instagram Stories.

He’s not 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’s departure leaves only Ellie Leach, Bobby Brazier, Layton Williams and Annabel Croft in the competition as they compete in a bid to lift the iconic glitterball trophy.

After the BBC announced the news on social media, fans quickly took to the comments section to share their dismay over the popular star’s departure.

Others also wondered whether there will still be a public vote after Nigel’s departure or whether the date of the final, set for December 16, will change. MailOnline understands that the logistical details of any changes will be shared in Saturday evening’s episode.

One fan wrote: ‘Absolutely gutted for him. He was definitely on his way to the final. Speedy recovery Nigel.’

Another said: ‘I’m so mad at him for liking him’, a third said: ‘OMG I’m so upset he was my favorite dancer.’

A fourth wrote: “That’s such a shame I feel bad for Katya too as he’s been her best competitor for ages,” and a fifth said: “That’s really sad after all his hard work.”