Nigel Harman admits he’s ‘come close to being sick’ in training one day before Strictly exit

Former ‘EastEnders’ star told The Independent he’d struggled with nausea but was ‘excited’ about Charleston

Nigel Harman was “excited” to perform his “biggest dance” yet just one day before he was forced to pull out of Strictly Come Dancing completely.

During Saturday (2 December) night’s Musicals Week quarter-final, the Casualty star had been scheduled to perform a Mary Poppins-themed Charleston to the song “Step in Time”.

However, on Saturday afternoon, just hours before the show was scheduled to begin, the BBC announced that Harman had left the competition entirely on medical grounds.

A spokesperson told The Independent: “Unfortunately Nigel has sustained an injury which means he is unable to perform in tonight’s show and has had to withdraw from Strictly.”

It is believed that Harman must have injured his leg early on Saturday afternoon. At around 11am, his professional partner Katya Jones shared a preview to her Instagram Story, on which she wrote: “Here we goooo!!”

Just 24 hours before his exit was announced, Harman sat down with The Independent to talk exclusively about his Musicals Week routine.

In his final print interview before his exit from the show, the actor, 50, seemed in high spirits about the routine, but admitted that he was struggling with feelings of nausea during the dance.

Harman and Jones have pulled out of the competition (BBC/Guy Levy)

“You’ve got to learn to swivel your feet and hips, and then you’ve got to learn to do really big face,” Harman said. “So it’s important that you spend most of the dance with your mouth open and with a big smiling face and swivel a lot – there’s probably more to it.”

Jones added: “It’s also if you can survive,” adding that “every single rehearsal”, Harman was left panting with his head between his legs.

Harman explained: “My fitness is really quite good. I’m quite tired but I feel like I’m feeling quite fresh in some ways. I know that’s a paradox. I’m quite a little bit proud of myself to be 50 still be leaping around out there, so that’s quite good.

“But then I get to the end of the Charleston…. It’s the closest I’ve come to being sick at the end of a routine.”

The pair will no longer compete for the Glitterball Trophy (PA Media)

Describing the routine as a full-on “two-minute production”, he said: “We’ve got supporting dancers to create an ensemble of chimney sweeps. We were working with them this morning and it’s brilliant… We’ve got lifts and jumps and catches and all sorts of things going on. It’s been really good fun. It feels like a two-minute production for Musicals Week.”

Asked what he was most excited for in the episode, Harman answered: “It’s the crowd, really. You go out there and dance each week just to entertain people at home – this is one of those dances that just really does that. I’m most excited to just get out there and give it the beans, beans, magic beans.”

According to reports, Harman’s exit means that no couple will leave Strictly this week. As a result, three couples will still appear in the final, as Amanda Abbington’s exit earlier in the series meant the show was one pair down.

In regular years, four couples dance in the final in hope of winning the Glitterball Trophy. In 2021, just two celebrities (Rose Ayling-Ellis and John Whaite) competed in the final when AJ Odudu withdrew after injuring her ankle.

Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday 2 December at 7.25pm on BBC One.