Nigel Harman’s bitter BBC Strictly Come Dancing ending – Blackpool drama, row with wife and injury
From his diva demands reportedly irking backstage staff to an agonising injury cutting his time on the BBC series short, we revisit Nigel Harman's final few weeks on Strictly Come Dancing
It was a tough few weeks for Nigel Harman as the actor approached the end of his Strictly Come Dancing journey.
The former EastEnders star, 50, and his professional dance partner Katya Jones were forced to pull out of the BBC show’s live performances over the weekend, thanks to Nigel having to withdraw from Musicals Week just hours before he was due to take to the dancefloor.
Nigel and Katya had been planning to wow the Strictly judges and viewers Charleston to Step in Time from Disney ‘s Mary Poppins but the couple have danced their last dance together. Following Nigel being ruled out of lifting the Glitterball trophy this year, we take a look back at his final few weeks on Strictly.
Nigel Harman’s time on Strictly Come Dancing came to an end over the weekend
‘Furious row wife wife’ in front of ‘shocked audience’
It’s been reported Nigel has a furious row with in front of shocked Strictly audience members after appearing to be irked by receiving disappointing scores from the judges one week.
Nigel’s argument with wife Lucy Leimann, who had tried to calm the actor down following the judges’ critiques, was reportedly so bad his dance partner Katya was apparently spotted consoling Lucy after Nigel stormed off set. The former Strictly star also allegedly left judges Shirley Ballas and Anton De Beke miffed out, with the two stars spotted “rolling their eyes” after witnessing Nigel’s reaction to their comments.
An member of the live audience from Blackpool Week has claimed “Nigel was super pumped up” ahead of his performance last month and didn’t interact with fans like his fellow celebrity contestants were doing – alleging Nigel was “just in the zone” and not noticing people saying hello to him.
The row reportedly took place during Blackpool Week (
BBC)
Nigel’s dance partner Katya apparently comforted the actor’s wife (
Dave Benett/Getty Images)
The audience member went on to tell MailOnline: “And it all kicked off when he got his scores from the judges. When the cameras stopped rolling he stormed back to his seat and beckoned his wife over. You could tell she knew what was coming. She tried to pacify him but he didn’t work and he took his disappointment out on her.” They added after Nigel walked off, Katya tried to comfort the actor’s “visibly upset wife”.
Blackpool blunder
Blackpool Week is a highlight for Strictly fans and the BBC show’s stars, but Nigel didn’t have the best time in the Lancashire town last month. The former soap star and Katya impressed viewers with another great performance inside the Blackpool Tower Ballroom, but some mistakes in the routine led to some lower scores for the pair, and critique from the judges.
Although Nigel received a 31, he seemed disappointed as the judges pointed out a few flaws with quickstep to It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing by Duke Ellington and seemingly stormed off the dancefloor. Speaking on It Takes Two a few days on from the live performance, Nigel admitted to host Fleur East that he was upset over the mistakes he had made, given how hard he and Katya had worked on the routine.
He insisted he did have a good time during the Blackpool special, despite fans believing he was upset at the criticism after spotting him make an abrupt exit from the dancefloor. “It is so brilliant the Blackpool floor, it’s such a gift. It’s so big and bouncy and the crowd were so present and with you,” Nigel confessed.
“I loved every second of it. I actually think it was the best I’ve danced on the show, and then I made some mistakes, but putting that aside it was the most I have enjoyed it. I had such a good time which is why when I made the mistake, afterwards it was so disappointing because you have done all that work and it was so good.”
‘Diva’ demands
Nigel’s Strictly exit has disappointed many fans of the BBC series but reportedly left some of the show’s staff “relieved”. It’s claimed the former Casualty star would often have “mood swings” causing bad feelings amongst the staff backstage prior to his withdrawal to the competition over the weekend.
Speaking with The Sun, a Strictly insider revealed the actor “takes himself very seriously” as a performer and throws himself into his routines fully, causing him to get “very emotional” if things don’t go to plan. “That often means that he can be like a bear with a sore head backstage,” the source claimed.
They went on to add: “Viewers got a glimpse of that when he received disappointing scores for their quickstep in Blackpool. The crew and pros on the show are like a close family and the celebrities are welcomed into that. But if someone upsets that long-standing dynamic it can create bad feeling”.
Agonising injury
Nigel sadly sustained an injury just hours before the Strictly quarter-finals on Saturday night, forcing the Downton Abbey actor to withdraw from the competition completely and end his bid to life the Glitterball trophy with Katya. His exit leaves four celebrities left to battle it out on the dancefloor, with no couple sent home over the weekend.
Katya and Nigel’s Strictly exit was announced ahead of the live show airing on Saturday night, with a BBC spokesperson revealing: “Unfortunately Nigel has sustained an injury which means he is unable to perform in tonight’s show and has had to withdraw from Strictly.”
The former soap star took his training very seriously, it’s claimed (
BBC)
Appearing on the BBC show later that evening, Nigel revealed he ended up in hospital after sustaining his rib injury while practising a jump for his planned routine. Speaking with host Claudia Winkleman, the actor recalled: “I was leaping off a rostrum and was about to be caught by some very handsome men and as I flew, I was Peter Pan and as I landed, I was in A&E. I’ve done something to my rib basically and it’s quite painful. I’m a little bit high on painkillers as well, but I’m having a lovely time.”
Nigel continued to tell viewers he’d “loved” his time as a Strictly star, adding: “This really hasn’t sunk in. When I watched everyone come down the stairs, I was a bit like, ‘Oh, this is real, I’m not a part of this anymore’.”
Katya also opened up about her partner’s exit, saying: “It’s quite hard to talk about it, I’m not going to lie. I’ve absolutely loved every moment of us creating magic on a dancefloor. I hope you got something out of this that you’re going to cherish forever.”
The professional dancer then turned to Nigel and told the actor: “The only reason I’m standing here is ’cause of all the work you’ve put into me. You turn up everyday with hundreds of great ideas, you challenge me, you push me, you support me, you make me laugh. But, most of all, you’re just part of me now.”
Strictly’s remaining celebrities – EastEnders actor Bobby Brazier, former Coronation Street star Ellie Leach, tennis player Annabel Croft and musical theatre performer Layton Williams – all performed over the weekend and got an automatic place in next week’s semi-final due to Nigel’s withdrawal from the competition.
