Strictly Come Dancing star Nadiya Bychkova taken to hospital after ‘nasty’ rehearsal fall

Dancer was reportedly ‘stretchered out’ after suffering a back injury

Strictly Come Dancing professional Nadiya Bychkova has reportedly been taken to hospital after a “nasty” fall during rehearsals for the BBC dance competition’s forthcoming series.

The 35-year-old, who joined the cast in 2017, is believed to have injured her back while training in north London and was swiftly taken to hospital after the show’s crew called an ambulance.

A source told The Mirror: “It looked pretty nasty and no-one was taking any chances. The Strictly crew rushed into action and she was stretchered out.

“As a precaution, following a fall during rehearsals, Nadiya was taken to hospital for checks and is receiving full support from medical and welfare teams.

Rehearsals are “continuing” and “the Strictly team are in close contact with Nadiya”.

The Independent has contacted Bychkova’s representatives and Strictly Come Dancing for comment.

Bychkova first joined Strictly Come Dancing in 2017 and left a lasting impression on the judges and the public after making it to the quarter final with EastEnders actor Davood Ghadami.

‘Strictly’ star Nadiya Bychkova has reportedly been taken to hospital following a fall in rehearsal (BBC/Ray Burmiston)

Last year, the Ukrainian professional dancer was paired with Olympic swimmer Tom Dean, 25, who was eliminated in the second week of the competition to much disappointment from fans.

Reports of Bychkova’s injury arrive days after the first celebrities taking part on the 2025 series started being announced.

Love Island winner Dani Dyer, ER star Alex Kingston and Dutch football legend Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink currently lead this year’s contestants, with EastEnders star Balvinder Sopa, who plays Suki on the BBC soap, also competing.

Bychkova on ‘Strictly’ with celebrity partner Tom Dean in 2024 (Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire)

George Clarke, a British YouTuber, podcaster and social media star, and athlete Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, known as Nitro to Gladiators fans, are part of the line-up, too.

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

The remaining contestants will be announced throughout August. The rumoured names for this year’s series include former GB athlete Mo Farah and Sort Your Life Out presenter Stacey Solomon.

Returning professionals include Bychkova, Dianne Buswell (who won the 2024 series with Chris McCausland), Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Luba Mushtuk and Jowita Przystal.

They will be joined by two new professionals who’ve been added to the 2025 cast: Alexis Warr, who won the US series So You Think You Can Dance in 2022, and Julian Caillon, a ballroom TV star from Australia.

Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One from September through to December.