Dianne Buswell denies claims Stefan Dennis quit Strictly over her pregnancy
Dianne is not happy with the comments
Australian dancer Dianne Buswell has been forced to hit back at claims her celebrity partner Stefan Dennis has quit this year's Strictly Come Dancing due to her pregnancy, after accusations emerged online.
News of Stefan's withdrawal from the competition was announced on Monday night (20th October), with the Neighbours actor confirming he'd torn his calf muscle, leaving him unable to compete.
However, fans of the show were quick to speculate if the reason for Stefan's exit was actually due to his professional partner Dianne being pregnant.
After seeing the accusations online, 36-year-old Dianne has now hit back at the claims in a post on her Instagram page.
Sharing a comment she'd received, Dianne added: 'I sound like a broken record but I'm seeing a bit of this floating around again! I know people say ignore it but actually why should I. I will speak up .. I would love nothing more than to keep dancing this week next week the week after that so on and so forth. In fact l have more energy this year than I did this time last year.
'Please respect Stefan who is extremely gutted to not be able to dance. And stop presuming this was a set up! Because believe me we would if we could'. (sic)
Speaking about his exit from the show, Stefan, who plays Paul Robinson in the Australian soap, said: "This morning I woke up to the most disappointing day of my time in my Strictly journey.
"Just when I had finally gained the confidence to do well with my dancing in the competition and achieve more great dances along the way, I was told that on Saturday I had torn my calf so significantly that I am now forced to withdraw from the show.
"I can't tell you how devastated I am to have to leave so prematurely especially, as there has been, and still is, so much love and support from everyone for both Dianne and myself.
"I owe both the Strictly Family and Dianne a (massive debt of gratitude for giving me the opportunity to fulfil my dream of being able to dance with my wife. (When my leg is better)
"Fun fact for all the avid Neighbours fans... it's the same leg!"
Dianne, who is in a relationship with former Strictly partner Joe Sugg, announced she was expecting her first child back in September, before the current series started.
Sharing the news on social media, the couple confirmed they are expecting a baby boy, writing: 'Our little baby boy ❤️ we cannot wait to meet you'. (sic)
Dianne hasn't yet announced her due date.
Take a look at all of this year's Strictly couples below:
Balvinder Sopal and Julian Caillon
Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin
George Clarke and Alexis Warr
Lewis Cope and Katya Jones
Karen Carney and Carlos Gu
Alex Kingston and Johannes Radebe: ELIMINATED
La Voix and Aljaž Škorjanec: FORCED TO WITHDRAW
Drag Queen La Voix was forced to pull out of the competition ahead of Blackpool week. Hosts Tess and Claudia said: "As you may have heard La Voix sustained an injury meaning she can't dance in Blackpool tonight. Following further advice from our medical team, we can now confirm very sadly that she has had to withdraw from the competition."
Vicky Pattison and Kai Widdrington: ELIMINATED
Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and Karen Hauer: ELIMINATED
Ellie Goldstein and Vito Coppola: ELIMINATED
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Lauren Oakley: ELIMINATED
Stefan Dennis and Dianne Buswell: FORCED TO WITHDRAW
After four weeks in the competition, Neighbours star Stefan Dennis announced he'd been forced to quit the competition, revealing he'd torn his calf muscle.
Chris Robshaw and Nadiya Bychkova: ELIMINATED
Ross King and Jowita Przystal: ELIMINATED
Thomas Skinner and Amy Dowden: ELIMINATED
Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin: FORCED TO WITHDRAW
Just days ahead of her first live performance, Dani released a statement to announce she'd had to pull out of the series after suffering a fractured ankle in training. It has now been confirmed that Amber Davies will replace her and pair with Nikita.
Strictly Come Dancing continues every Saturday night on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Now read:
Stefan Dennis forced to quit Strictly Come Dancing
Your ultimate guide to Strictly Come Dancing 2025
Strictly fans are not happy about the new online only voting system