Last week, Kevin Clifton stepped in as Neil Jones’ replacement on Strictly Come Dancing. Neil had sustained a horrible leg injury on Saturday (October 26) during training and had to pull out of performing with his partner Alex Scott. So, will Neil be on Strictly this week?
Will Neil Jones be on Strictly this week?
Last weekend, the BBC revealed Neil Jones and Will Bayley would not be participating in the Halloween special due to injuries they sustained in training.
Luckily, fellow Strictly professional Kevin Clifton stepped in to perform with Jones’ partner, footballer Alex Scott with just 40 minutes to learn the routine.
Unfortunately, Will has had to pull out of the competition for good earlier this week due to his injury.
On Saturday, Neil had sustained a nasty calf injury and was left unable to walk.
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He told one fan on Twitter: “I wish it was just a tight muscle and I’ve performed with a ripped muscle and a hernia but last night I physically couldn’t even walk.”
At the moment, things are looking positive for Neil, who was spotted at rehearsals with crutches earlier this week.
Neil and the BBC have not officially confirmed whether he will be fit enough to take part in will be taking part in Strictly Come Dancing this Saturday but as he attended rehearsals, things are looking good.
Neil confirmed earlier this week that he was recovering from his injury after the Strictly songs and dances were revealed for this weekend.
He tweeted to his 73,500 followers: “Yes I can’t wait this week myself @AlexScott will be dancing American Smooth to ‘Ain’t no mountain high enough’. I just need to hurry up and recover.”
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On Wednesday’s (October 30) episode of It Takes Two, a video was shared of Neil and Alex practising their American Smooth.
The video showed Neil telling Alex the steps to the dance as she practised solo and he stood to the side with his crutches.
Host Zoe Ball said: “Alex and Neil have an American Smooth this week. As we can see, Alex is marking this on her own.
“Neil is telling her what to do, he’s still on a crutch.”
Kevin Clifton also has not announced whether he will be stepping in to replace Neil again or not but professional dancer Ian Waite teased on It Takes Two that he could be replaced by Kevin or Gorka Marquez.
Kevin had been paired with soapstar Anneka Rice but the couple were knocked out in week two of the show.
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This year, Gorka wasn’t paired with a celebrity and is part of the show as one of the professionals.
However, it looks like Kevin or Gorka might not be needed this Saturday as Neil is doing all he can to make sure he makes it to the dance floor this Saturday.
Earlier in the week, Neil shared a photo of him on Instagram taking a midnight ice bath, which is supposed to help ease aching muscles.
After Saturday’s performance, Neil took to Twitter to thank Kevin.
He tweeted: “Bro you stepped up when needed and I know how it took me to dance the routine so for you to do that in 45mins BRAVO you have always been there for me when I have needed your help. Thank you.”
Express.co.uk has contacted the BBC for comment on Neil’s condition.
Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturday at 7pm on BBC One