In recent days, though, the show has had a double blow after former Neighbours actor Stefan Dennis was forced to quit after sustaining a leg injury, and rugby player Chris Robshaw was eliminated following the dance-off. Despite rumours amongst the fanbase that Chris would be reinstated to make up the numbers, but it has now been claimed that will not be the case, and the judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke have made the decision.

Meanwhile, this year's final will be even more bittersweet as Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman have announced their decision to quit after this series.

A BBC insider said: "The judges have had the final say on Chris's future in the competition and we would not seek to overturn that. So he will not be returning to compete on Strictly Come Dancing. Following Stefan Dennis' departure from Strictly, we will run the competition as usual."

Speaking to the Daily Mail, the source added: "But instead of the usual four-person final, there will instead be only three finalists."

Meanwhile, Stefan recently confessed he felt like 'he let people down' because of the injury and subsequent exit from the beloved competition.

"I just feel like I've let everyone down," he said to The Mirror during the Pride Of Britain Awards. "They all say I haven't, of course, and the pros know all about injuries, but it feels like a shame to go out in this way."

He added: "It was all going so well. When you go out, you want it to be because the viewers have spoken, because it's your time, not like this."

The news was a particularly upsetting blow for Stefan as the news came after viewers saw Chris Robshaw and his partner Nadiya Bychkova get voted out.

Stefan then revealed he begged producers to let Chris return to the show in his place. "I said they should keep Chris in now that I'm going but they said they couldn't do that - once you've gone, you've gone."

Speaking about the severity of the injury, he added: "I thought I'd be able to carry on but they said absolutely not!

"The muscle needs complete rest. So that's me done unfortunately." Stefan is not the first to succumb to an injury this year, with Amber Davies being rushed in as a last-minute replacement for Dani Dyer, who had to leave the competition before the live show went to air.

Dani took to social media to share her devastation of the news in an emotional statement, and the news was met with sorrow from her fellow dancers on the hit BBC show.

Taking to Instagram, Dani, who shot to fame on the ITV2 dating show in 2018, said: "I had a fall on Friday 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 l've had to pull out of the show. To say I'm heartbroken is the biggest understatement. I am so going to miss dancing with Nikita but will of course be watching closely and cheering all the couples on."

Strictly Come Dancing final set for major shakeup after Stefan Dennis forced to quit - The Mirror