‘Strictly Come Dancing’s Gorka Márquez is "feeling better" after being attacked in Blackpool.
The 26-year-old professional dancer has taken to Twitter to thank the show’s fans for being so supportive after it had emerged he had two teeth knocked out by a group of yobs on Saturday (19.11.16) in an "unprovoked and random" attack whilst out with his co-stars Aljaz Skorjanec and Neil Jones.
He shared on the microblogging site: "Thanks for all your kind messages about Blackpool. It was a bad experience but I’m feeling better and just want to look forward to the show on Saturday!"
It was previously revealed that Gorka was left "shaken" by the "shocking" incident.
A source shared: "Gorka and a few of the other dancers were heading to a nightclub to let their hair down after another brilliant show. All of a sudden this group of local louts came out of nowhere. One of them punched Gorka in the face and broke two of his teeth. Gorka was sober, he doesn’t drink.
"This was an entirely random and shocking attack on a group of friends simply trying to enjoy a night out. He wasn’t angry, he was just more shaken by the event. They went straight back to the hotel to see if he needed urgent medical care before going back to London for dental surgery."
Gorka is expected to return to training this week ready for the show next weekend.
A representative said: "Gorka was sadly the victim of an unprovoked incident in Blackpool on Saturday night but he will be back in training this week and is looking forward to the group routine next weekend."