Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Gorka Marquez is undergoing emergency dental surgery after reportedly losing two teeth in a vicious attack outside a Blackpool nightclub.
The 26-year-old Spaniard was attacked in what the BBC described in a statement as an "unprovoked incident" while out with co-stars Aljaz Skorjanec and Neil Jones.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Skorjanec and Jones were not harmed, adds, and the police were not contacted.
Marquez has travelled to London today to receive emergency dental treatment. He is said to be "shaken" by the incident.
The new addition to the Strictly cast partnered EastEnders star Tameka Empson until she left the contest in the third week.
He has remained on the show to take part in the group routines and also danced with singer Anastacia in week five, when her partner Brendan Cole was ill.
Getting to the Blackpool stage of the competition, when show relocates from the BBC studios in Borehamwood to the Tower Ballroom, represents the high-water mark for celebrity contestants and Marquez is apparently determined not to let the incident spoil the experience.
"He's so upbeat that he won't let an unprovoked attack from a yob ruin his first Strictly in Blackpool," a friend of the dancer told the Sun.
The BBC has confirmed Marquez will return to training this week and is expected to take part in next weekend's shows.
-
August 9 editorial cartoonsCartoons Saturday's political cartoons include snake oil salesmen, Ghislaine Maxwell's new residence, and more
-
5 hastily redrawn cartoons about redistrictingCartoons Artists take on Donald Trump's draughtsmanship, the White House ballroom, and more
-
Bonnie Blue: taking clickbait to extremesTalking Point Channel 4 claims documentary on the adult performer's attention-grabbing sex stunts is opening up a debate
-
Sport on TV guide: Christmas 2022 and New Year listingsSpeed Read Enjoy a feast of sporting action with football, darts, rugby union, racing, NFL and NBA
-
House of the Dragon: what to expect from the Game of Thrones prequelSpeed Read Ten-part series, set 200 years before GoT, will show the incestuous decline of Targaryen
-
One in 20 young Americans identify as trans or non-binarySpeed Read New research suggests that 44% of US adults know someone who is transgender
-
The Turner Prize 2022: a ‘vintage’ shortlist?Speed Read All four artists look towards ‘growth, revival and reinvention’ in their work
-
What’s on TV this Christmas? The best holiday televisionSpeed Read From films and documentaries to musicals for all the family
-
Coco vision: up close to Chanel opticalsSpeed Read Parisian luxury house adds opticals to digital offering
-
Abba returns: how the Swedish supergroup and their ‘Abba-tars’ are taking a chance on a reunionSpeed Read From next May, digital avatars of the foursome will be performing concerts in east London
-
‘Turning down her smut setting’: how Nigella Lawson is cleaning up her recipesSpeed Read Last week, the TV cook announced she was axing the word ‘slut’ from her recipe for Slut Red Raspberries in Chardonnay Jelly
