The glitz and glam we all associate with Strictly Come Dancing has been amped up this weekend as the BBC One juggernaut returns to "the Vegas of the North" for its annual Blackpool Special. Yes, that means we will see this year's crop of contestants taking to the dancefloor of the iconic Blackpool Tower Ballroom for what a round of what are undoubtedly going to be history-making routines.
However, a lot of the sparkle of this year's show will be absent as it has been revealed that the beloved La Voix and Aljaž won't be dancing in the special. Needless to say, it's a blow to fans who did vote them through to Week 9 of the competition, but there is hope that they will return next weekend for Week 10.
La Voix and Aljaž will miss Strictly's Blackpool Special due to injury
Unfortunately La Voix and Aljaž won't be dancing in the Tower Ballroom at Blackpool this weekend. La Voix has sustained an injury and has been advised to rest by doctors, meaning that the couple have been given a one-week bye from the competition and will hopefully dance again in Week 10.
The pair were supposed to dance a Samba to "Love Is In The Air" which was destined to be a thrillingly campy performance worthy of the Blackpool stage. However, as La Voix had danced through her injury last weekend with her show-closing Couples Choice, she now needs time to rest. And with that, the pair will take their one-week break.
The BBC said in a statement posted to the official BBC Strictly Instagram account:
Due to injury, La Voix has been advised by doctors to rest and, as a result, will not dance in this weekend's Blackpool specials. In line with the rules of Strictly Come Dancing, La Voix and Aljaž will receive a bye through to next week when it is hoped they will be able to dance again. We wish La Voix the very best for a speedy recovery."
La Voix herself added some context with her own statement, revealing that she's currently battling a foot injury and that she's "devastated" not to be taking part in the Blackpool Week of the competition.
She revealed:
"It is with immense sadness that I have to withdraw from this weekend’s Strictly Come Dancing shows in Blackpool. Due to an injury, I’ve been advised that I’m unable to perform, and my heart truly breaks knowing I won’t be dancing in such an iconic venue. Aljaž and I have worked incredibly hard, and we were so excited to share our routine with everyone. I am devastated not to be joining the rest of the cast on that famous dancefloor, but my focus now is on recovery. I’ll be cheering on all the amazing couples this weekend."
This isn't the first time that a one-week bye has been used this series, as Neighbours legend Stefan Dennis and Dianne Buswell had to take a one-week break for Movies Week after the former had been battling an illness and they did indeed return for Week 4. However, they were unfortunately forced to pull out of the whole competition the week after that as Stefan had suffered a significant calf injury that left him unable to continue.
La Voix, real name Chris Dennis, is just off-the-back of a fan-favorite Couples Choice routine that saw a bounce back after a surprise Dance-Off appearance in Week 7. In a surprise just two weeks ago, La Voix and partner Aljaž Škorjanec found themselves in the Dance-Off against former Olympic sprinter and Gladiator Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and his partner Karen Hauer. Although La Voix and Aljaž's Foxtrot scored one mark lower than Harry and Karen's Samba, the judges opted to save La Voix and
Aljaž for having a greater improvement in the Dance-Off.
Their Couples Choice routine saw them score much higher, placing them fourth on the Leaderboard last week and resulting in the public voting them through to Week 9 - a.k.a. the Blackpool Special, where La Voix was looking forward to performing. Although it's certainly a shame that they won't get the chance to dance their Samba this weekend, we're all looking forward to seeing them back in the ballroom next weekend.
Sending well-wishes to both La Voix and Aljaž and we can't wait to see their next routine next week!