Actor and DJ Kristian Nairn has withdrawn from the 2025 lineup of the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing due to “unexpected medical reasons”.
He was unveiled as the latest celebrity contestant last Friday.
He is best known for playing the character of Hodor in four seasons of the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones and also starred as Wee John Feeney in the comedy Our Flag Means Death.
In a statement he said he had made the decision to withdraw with “a heavy heart”, adding: “I was truly looking forward to the journey, and I’m deeply sorry to disappoint anyone who was looking forward to seeing me on the dance floor.”
Speaking to his followers on Instagram he explained “Like so many people at the minute, I’ve been dealing with a high level of stress and a little bit of grief, if I’m going to be really real.
“I’ve always been my mother’s son and I’ve always powered through things like this in the past. I think I’ve got a pretty healthy attitude towards stuff like this. Well, I thought I did, at least.
“But for the first time it’s manifested physically and has caused a spike in my vitals as sort of an area of concern.
“Please know I’m OK. I’m under treatment already, and my doctor isn’t concerned. After two, maybe three weeks, I’ll be pretty much back to normal, but sadly, it’s not going to be in time for all the training and everything like that.”
He added that he was “gutted” not to be taking part in the series, calling it a “wonderful opportunity”.
Sarah James, who is chief executive producer at BBC Studios, said they were “incredibly sorry to lose him from this year’s series and we all wish him a speedy recovery”.
His replacement on the series will be announced on BBC’s The One Show on Thursday at 7pm.
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