“I Didn’t Want To Say It… But The Truth Deserves To Be Heard.” Strictly Come Dancing has been THROWN into absolute chaos — because Anton Du Beke has just dropped the most heart-shattering exit bombshell in the show’s 20-year history. Moments before the cameras cut to a commercial break, the ballroom legend looked straight into the lens, voice shaking, and said: “Strictly made me who I am… but it’s time to walk away before I break.” Gasps. Silence. Then devastation. Crew members froze. Fellow judges were visibly gutted. Even Tess Daly was seen wiping tears as the reality hit: The heart of Strictly… is leaving the ballroom. For two decades, Anton carried the show — from his unforgettable 2004 debut to becoming the calm, steady judge everyone trusted in 2019. But tonight? He admitted something fans NEVER expected to hear: “You give your whole life to a show… and one day you realise it’s time to let go.”

Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke has issued a huge update about the beloved BBC dance competition now that a second contestant has pulled out of the show due to an injury. At the start of the week, Aussie favourite Stefan Davis withdrew from the competition after he “tore his calf so significantly” that he struggled to make it through Saturday night’s performance.

Anton Du Beke has issued a major Strictly update (Image: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

The Neighbours star, who had been partnered up with Dianne Buswell, took a break from the show for one week to help recover from the injury, but after last week’s show, he pulled out of the series altogether due to the pain he suffered during the routine. Now, the 59-year-old judge has given fans an insight into what this will mean for the show.

During an appearance on This Morning on Wednesday (October 22), the dancer turned author revealed that due to the star’s exit, there will now only be “three dancers in the final this year.”

He explained: “Stefan sustained a calf injury, and I think he’d been taking pain killers to get through the show, but he couldn’t keep going after Saturday, it was too bad. So that means that there’ll be three finalists this year instead of four, so hopefully nothing else changes.”

The professional dancer added that Stefan is going to “try his best to make it to the final” for the group number, but it entirely depends on his recovery. But Stefan isn’t the only star who was forced to pull out of the show due to an injury. At the start of the series, Dani Dyer also pulled out of the competition due to an injury, which landed her in hospital.

Dani revealed at the time: “I had a fall in rehearsals and landed funny. I thought I had rolled my foot but it swelled up badly over the weekend and after an MRI scan yesterday, it turns out I have fractured my ankle.

“Apparently doing the Quickstep on a fracture is not advisable (!!) and the doctors have said I am not allowed to dance so I’ve had to pull out of the show.”