Breaking: AJ Odudu forced to withdraw from Strictly Come Dancing final

An ankle injury has forced AJ Odudo to withdraw from this week’s Strictly Come Dancing final along with her partner Kai Widdrington. The TV presenter was due to perform in the show on Saturday 18 December but she said: “I’m deeply upset that I am unable to perform in the final due to a torn ligament in my right ankle.”

She and her professional dance partner Kai Widdrington have been in the BBC show from the beginning and have wowed audiences over the last 13 weeks. The panel of judges for the show have admitted she would have been tough competition for the other two couples in the final.

“Learning to dance over the last 13 weeks has been an incredible honour and to do it alongside someone as special, patient and devoted as Kai is something I’ll treasure forever,” Odudu said in a statement.

“Thank you to the Strictly Come Dancing family for the experience, the medical team for trying to get me back on my feet and mostly, to everyone at home for watching and supporting.”

The final is still set to be aired on Saturday, report ITV News, with couple John Whaite and Johannes Radebe squaring off against Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice to win the coveted Glitterball Trophy.

AJ’s partner Kai said: “Although neither of us wanted our journey to end this way, AJ’s health and safety are by far the most important things.”

He added: “I’ve been absolutely honoured to get to dance with the incredible AJ Odudu for the last few months”.

This year is the first Widdrington has featured on Strictly Come Dancing.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article, do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.