Okay, so the official word after the speculation of the last couple of days. Finalist Robbie White has dislocated his shoulder and has been declared medically unfit to continue on the show.
A BBC spokesperson tells me that it was mooted to draft Alastair back in as a replacement to compete for the title, but it was quickly apparent that it “with the best will in the world, it would be nigh on impossible for anyone to learn all the routines in such a short space of time.”
So, the situation now is that the three couples dances that Robbie would have danced with fellow finalists Charlie, Lizzie and Tommy will now be danced by Alastair, Mark Calape, and Drew McOnie. None of them will be eligible for the title, leaving only three dancing vying for the series crown.
After the jump, Robbie talks about his injury…
Hi Robbie. How did it feel when you realised it would affect your place in the final?
At the time, within seconds I felt a blinding pain hit me before I even hit the floor. It was instant. I knew from how hard I went down. It wasn’t till I was in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, when the pain medication kicked in and my head cleared, that I knew something serious had happened.
What’s really annoying is that at the start of the week I was on a real high, really buzzing about the challenge ahead. I was even looking forward to mastering the hip-hop routine!
How is the shoulder?
I got a second opinion from the doctor who said it would probably be months before I could move the arm again. I had dislocated my shoulder once before, so I knew from then that that’s what they’d say.
I think the doctor, knowing that I was a dancer, would know saying to me “a few months” would equate to a couple of weeks. As a dancer we know what our bodies can do, and I will push to be back and fit and dancing as soon as I can.
Will you be there on Saturday?
Yes, well I asked if I can be. It will be very hard being there and not being part of it, but I definitely want to be there, to come out and have a chance to say my piece, say thanks…
Who are you backing now?
It’s so hard to say who I want to win. We’re genuinely close. I can’t say who I want to win, but I can say who I think will win: Tommy. He’s a phenomenal dancer. They’re three phenomenal dancers though.
But as Nigel Lythgoe says, it’s the public decision, the public choose their winner. I just couldn’t pick between them.
- So You Think You Can Dance, Saturday 7.45pm
