Jaime Winstone Strictly absence: torn muscle forces a week out, but a bye keeps her in the contest

The Jaime Winstone Strictly story took a painful turn this week, as the actor confirmed she will not dance in Saturday’s live show after tearing an abdominal muscle. Doctors have advised her to rest completely. Under the show’s rules, she and professional partner Carlos Gu will receive a bye into next week, so the injury costs her a performance but not her place in the competition.

What Winstone said about the injury

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Winstone said she was “absolutely devastated” and “in considerable pain”. She said her doctors had recommended complete rest “to give my body the best possible chance to heal.” She added that she had to “put my health first,” and said she was “praying for a speedy recovery” so she could continue what she called a “magical journey” with Gu.

Daily Mail reports say the injury happened during training. The BBC said it hopes the pair will be able to dance again next week, which stops short of a guarantee. Her recovery over the coming days will decide that.

A bye, not a free pass

The bye is a practical safeguard. It means Winstone cannot be eliminated on a weekend when she is not performing, and it spares viewers and judges from having to assess a routine that never happens. It also leaves the pair with a gap to make up. Gu, the reigning champion, is working with a celebrity who has already had a rocky run in the bottom of the leaderboard.

Reports differ slightly on how many times the pair have faced the dance-off. Some outlets say the past two weeks, others say three dance-offs in total. All agree they have survived them. Last weekend’s Halloween special put Winstone in the bottom three alongside Emmerdale’s Lawrence Robb and actress Bethany Antonia. According to the Mirror, the judges had to pick who to send home rather than who to save, and Robb was the one eliminated.

Support from the Strictly family

Messages of support arrived quickly. Head judge Shirley Ballas wrote that she hoped Winstone would make a speedy recovery and urged her to put her health first. Professional dancers Dianne Buswell and Aleksandra Isaeva also sent good wishes online.

The most pointed message came from fellow contestant Delta Goodrem, who knows the situation well. “Heal and rest, get better. We come back fighting!!” she wrote on Instagram, thanking Winstone for the support she had given her.

Second injury of the series

Goodrem missed a week last month with a rib injury and sat out Icons Week alongside partner Kai Widdrington. She returned the following Saturday, scored the first 10 of the series for a rumba to Celine Dion’s “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now”, and finished second on the night. Her comeback shows a bye can be a short pause rather than the end of a run.

The show has recent history of injuries. Last year’s series was marked by health problems before and during the launch. Kristian Nairn withdrew before the series began and was replaced by Lewis Cope, while Dani Dyer was injured during the launch show and replaced by Amber Davies.

What to watch on Saturday

Strictly Come Dancing airs at 6.30pm on Saturday on BBC One, without Winstone and Gu on the dance floor. Winstone is best known for films including Made in Dagenham, Bullet Boy and Tomb Raider, and for roles in Dead Set, Poirot and the BBC TV film Babs, in which she played the late Dame Barbara Windsor. Whether the Jaime Winstone Strictly run continues next week depends on how quickly her torn muscle heals, and the BBC has said only that it hopes she will be back.

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File photo: Jaime Winstone cropped to neck.jpg by Jaime_Winstone.jpg: William Ainsworth
derivative work: — Cirt (talk), CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.