Neighbours actor Stefan Dennis has revealed when he will be returning to Strictly Come Dancing after his sudden departure.
The Australian star, 66, was forced to pull out of the BBC dance competition on Monday after sustaining a painful calf injury.
Dennis said he was “devastated” that his time on Strictly had come to an end and admitted he was on a “truckload of painkillers” to get through the injury.
The actor has now confirmed he will still make an appearance in the Strictly final in December - but ruled out trying again as a contestant in next year’s series.
“It's a bit of a s****er, but I'll be back at the end of the year for the final,” he told The Sun.
“I've done too much to come back and try again next year. From the bottom of my heart I'm humbled to have so many of you out there supporting Dianne and me on this journey.”
In the past, contestants have returned to the show to compete again after quitting due to injuries.
Jamie Laing returned to compete on Strictly in 2020 after making an early exit before the first live show in 2019 due to an injury.
Dennis was paired with professional dancer Dianne Buswell on Strictly.
He was unable to perform on Saturday October 11 because of illness, but returned last weekend, scoring 26 points for a Charleston to Dance Monkey by Tones And I.
However, he announced on Monday that he was withdrawing from the show, writing on Instagram: “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 (Buswell) and myself.”
He added: “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).”
His dance partner Buswell later furiously denied that his departure from the show was “planned”.
Dennis, who is best known for playing Paul Robinson on Australian soap Neighbours, is married to actress Gail Easdale.
He revealed Easdale is upset because he cannot travel home until next month due to his injury.
“I can’t fly for another two weeks because of the risk of deep vein thrombosis which my wife is pretty upset about. I just feel like I’ve let everyone down,” he told The Mirror.
“They all say I haven’t, of course, and the pros know all about injuries, but it feels like a shame to go out in this way. It was all going so well.
“When you go out, you want it to be because the viewers have spoken, because it’s your time, not like this.”
