Neighbours legend Stefan Dennis has been forced to pull out of Strictly Come Dancing after sustaining a significant injury to his calf. The soap veteran, who is best known for portraying the scheming businessman of Erinsborough, Paul Robinson, is "devastated" to be leaving the show. Releasing a statement about his decision to pull out of the dancing competition, Stefan penned: "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."
Stefan had been paired with Strictly fan favourite, Dianne Buswell, who announced her pregnancy with Joe Sugg prior to the beginning of the season. In response to Stefan being forced to quit the show, Dianne said: "Stefo I'm so sorry our Strictly journey was cut short just as that confidence was starting to grow. But you can walk away with your head held high. You can go home to your wonderful wife put your hand out and say would you like to cha cha cha with me. The main reason for being on this show was to be able to dance with her and you can certainly do that now.
"You are the kindest human I have ever worked with and I can always say I got to dance with the iconic Neighbours legend Stefan Dennis or as my dad calls ya Paul Robertson. Can't wait for you to send me the video of you and Gail dancing together."
The actor's update comes just a week after he was forced to miss Movie Week due to an unexplained misadventure. Announcing the news, the official Instagram account for Strictly Come Dancing shared a post which read: "Due to illness over the past few days, Stefan Dennis has been advised by doctors to rest, and as a result, he will not dance this weekend. In line with the rules of Strictly, Stefan and Dianne will receive a bye through to next week when they will hopefully be allowed to dance again."
Just a few days later, Dianne and Stefan revealed they were once again back in rehearsals and ready to tackle the next dance. "I just wanna say thank you very much for all your support and well wishes while I was away last week," Dennis said in the video. "We're back in the training room, and if all goes well – which it will! – I'm gonna be back on the floor with the lovely Dianne this Saturday. Looking forward to it!"
© BBC/Guy LevySadly, just days later, the actor has been forced to pull out of the show altogether, expressing his disappointment and sending his thanks to his dance partner and fellow Aussie, Dianne. He is the second contestant that has been forced to pull out of the show after Love Island star, Dani Dyer, suffered a fractured ankle earlier on in the season.
Who is Stefan Dennis?
Stefan Dennis is better known as the scheming businessman, Paul Robinson, whom he has portrayed on Neighbours since the show's inception in 1985. When he's not busy running the fictional Lassiter's Hotel in Erinsborough, Paul is dreaming up dastardly machinations to unleash on his adversaries.
© Getty ImagesOutside of the soft Lynchian underbelly of Erinsborough, Stefan has appeared in a number of other programmes and has an extensive theatre background spanning across Australia and the UK. Most recently, following the announcement that Neighbours would be ending in December 2025, Stefan swapped the streets of Melbourne for the dancefloor in London when he joined the Strictly cast: "This is an opportunity for me to once again learn to step out of my comfort zone in the world of television. Looking forward to the sparkle and reaching for the sky," he said at the time.
