Shirley Ballas has broken her ankle but won’t miss ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ filming.
The 59-year-old star – who appears as a judge on the BBC Latin and ballroom competition – revealed on social media that she has suffered a "clean break", but she insisted she’ll still be fine to appear on the panel once work resumes.
Alongside a video of herself on crutches, Shirley wrote on Instagram: "So a clean break. Six weeks to heal.
"Thank you to NHS and all staff who took care of me. @danieltayloresq thank you for being there. Painful but I’ll trolly on. #cleanbreak #brokenankle. I’ll be fine for @bbcstrictly thank you for all the messages. #gratitude (sic)"
In a video message, Shirley once again thanked NHS staff for their help and reiterated that she still intends to appear on ‘Strictly’ later this year.
She said: "Hi everybody, I’ve just finished at Accident and Emergency and I have a clean break on my right ankle.
"So they’re not using Plaster of Paris anymore, they use a boot so I’m learning to walk on these crutches which goes crutches, right foot, close – a bit like the waltz.
"Anyway, I’m going to be absolutely fine for ‘Strictly’ and I’m sure everything’s going to be absolutely great. The NHS was amazing. So yes clean break, six weeks."
Meanwhile, her fellow ‘Strictly’ judge Bruno Tonioli could miss this year’s series due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 64-year-old star typically divides his time between ‘Strictly’ and the US version of the show, ‘Dancing with the Stars’ – but the ongoing health crisis has made it a logistical nightmare this year.
A source recently said: "Things have been up in the air as everyone works out what is going to be possible. But Bruno has had to make a decision.
"There is no way to travel back and forth at the moment, so he’s told bosses in the UK that unfortunately he will be staying over there.
"He spends a lot of his time in the States now, and the truth is he does earn a lot more from the US version."