Vito Coppola, who narrowly missed out on winning Strictly Come Dancing last year, will be temporarily replaced by Nikita Kuzmin for the initial performances of the Strictly tour due to a lower back injury.
Last year, Strictly Come Dancing audiences watched as Vito Coppola and Sarah Hadland narrowly missed out on winning the Glitterball, with Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell ultimately taking home the trophy. However, fans were excited to see Vito and Sarah dance together again during the Strictly tour. Vito has revealed that he will be temporarily replaced by fellow dancer Nikita Kuzmin for the initial performances.
Speaking on This Morning to Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley on a Monday, Vito explained his decision to take a short break. Ben brought up the topic of Vito's injury, hinting at a delayed start for him on the tour, reports the Mirror. He commented: 'We hear there was a little injury? You're not necessarily starting the tour, you will be on tour, but you're not necessarily starting.' Vito confirmed that Nikita would indeed partner with Sarah in his absence and spoke about his condition: 'I've got a little injury. It's a dancer thing, you know. We're kind of used to this pain a little bit in the body!' Intrigued, Ben asked further about the injury following Vito's gesture towards his back. Vito clarified: 'It's like a lower back pain at the moment.' He went on to detail the restrictions caused by the injury, expressing his current inability to perform at peak capacity. Vito continued: 'Of course, I can walk, I can sit and move but going to dance full on? Lifting and sharp twists of the body, it's better, at the moment, to have a little rest.' However, Vito is staying optimistic about reuniting with Sarah on the dance floor, aiming to join the tour as it reaches Sheffield towards the end of January. He indicated his plans for recovery: 'Yeah, I'm going to do all the physio and all the assessments this week.' Sarah commented to Ben and Cat about Vito's difficulty staying still, prompting him to express his enthusiasm for the routines, he added: 'Looking at the rehearsals, I really want to jump in with the dancing!' Meanwhile, winner Chris McCausland will also be absent from the tour due to scheduling conflicts with his stand-up comedy gigs. Reflecting on not being able to team up with Dianne once more, Chris explained on This Morning: 'It's fine to have two different feelings about the same thing.' He added: 'I would've loved to have done more dancing with Dianne, and it would've been a lot of fun, but also I'm very lucky to have people want to watch me do stand-up, and I'm enjoying getting back into that.' This Morning continues weekdays on ITV from 10am
STRICTLY INJURY KUZMIN COPPOLA TOUR
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Strictly's Vito Coppola and Sarah Hadland 'love' Miranda messageStrictly Come Dancing 2024 finalists Vito Coppola and Sarah Hadland have thanked a very special friend for their support throughout the series and ahead of the final
Read more »
Strictly's Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola declare mutual 'love' before finalStrictly Come Dancing professional dancer Vito Coppola and his celebrity partner Sarah Hadland have declared their love for a famous face, who is a mutual friend
Read more »
Strictly's Vito Coppola suffers awkward wardrobe malfunction during finalStrictly Come Dancing professional dancer Vito Coppola was left blushing after suffering an awkward wardrobe malfunction during the 2024 final
Read more »
BBC Strictly Come Dancing Vito Coppola suffers wardrobe malfunction as Tess Daly pleads 'oh goodness'Fans were in disbelief after the incident in the showpiece finale
Read more »
BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Vito Coppola declares love for co-star after reaction spoke volumesThe Italian dancer has 'never cried so much'
Read more »
Strictly Come Dancing star Jowita Przystal 'is dating fellow professional Vito Coppola' and friends...Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell are crowned the WINNERS in 'best ever' final as blind comedian saves the show following year of scandal. The nail-biting finale saw all the couples perform a whopping three dances for the judges.
Read more »