Actress Tillie Amartey is reportedly set to replace Dani Dyer on Strictly after she was forced to pull out.
Former Love Island winner Dani was announced as this year’s first contestant of the 2025 series. It was later revealed that she would be paired with Nikita Kuzmin during the pre-recorded launch last weekend.
However, in a heartbreaking update shared last night (September 23), Dani announced she had to quit the show due to an injury.
Strictly star Dani Dyer reportedly will be replaced
Now, in a fresh update, it has been reported that Tillie Amartey will replace her. Many will know her for her role as Stacey Neville in Waterloo Road.
“Tillie recently quit her role on Waterloo Road telling pals it was to make way for ‘another big’ project, which could be a game changer for her career,” a source told The Sun.
“She’s been making several trips from her Leeds home to London for discussions with TV execs in recent weeks. The feeling is that if she is filling the shoes vacated by Dani, the programme needs another young, glam woman to take her spot.”
The insider continued: “There is already an imbalance in the genders among the celebrities as there are nine men taking part and six women. It’s essential the number of females taking part doesn’t drop further, and they want to try and maintain a similar balance in terms of the variety of ages too.”
The source insisted that if Tillie does sign up for Strictly, she “will be using it very much as a platform for even bigger things”.
The 22-year-old actress is also no stranger to the Strictly dancefloor. In 2023, she participated in the Christmas special with Graziano Di Prima.
ED! has contacted the BBC for comment, who said: “We’ve nothing further to add to the statement currently.”
‘I’m heartbroken is the biggest understatement’
Dani broke the news that she will no longer be a part of this year’s cast via her Instagram.
In a statement, she shared: “I had a fall on Friday in rehearsals and landed funny. I thought I had rolled my foot but it swelled up badly over the weekend and after an MRI scan yesterday, it turns out I have fractured my ankle.”
She continued: “Apparently doing the quickstep on a fracture is not advisable (!!) and the doctors have said I am not allowed to dance so l’ve had to pull out of the show. To say I’m heartbroken is the biggest understatement. I am so going to miss dancing with Nikita but will of course be watching closely and cheering all the couples on.”
Following the announcement, Dani was flooded with support from her co-stars.
“Absolutely devastated for you Dani. I’m going to miss you so much… Love you loads x,” Vicky Pattison wrote.
“Oh darling nooo. So sorry .. wishing you a speedy recovery,” Karen Hauer shared.
“So gutted for you guys! @danidyerxx @nikita__kuzmin. Hope you get well soon,” Gorka Marquez added.
The first live show starts on Saturday (September 27) at 6.55pm on BBC One.
Read more: Strictly star Ellie Goldstein overtaken as favourite to win ahead of first live show
What do you think of this story? Tell us on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix. We want to hear your thoughts!