Strictly Come Dancing announces Emmerdale star Lewis Cope as Kristian Nairn's replacement

Lewis Cope has been announced as Kristian Nairn's replacement on Strictly Come Dancing. The former Game of Thrones star, 49, had signed up to take part in the upcoming series of the BBC competition, but suddenly quit on Thursday night.

They were unveiled as the new contestant for the competition on The One Show just hours later, and will be joining the likes of Geordie Shore legend Vicky Pattison, Neighbours star Stefan Dennis and Love Island winner Dani Dyer amongst a host of others on the dancefloor. It comes after Strictly celebrity pairings 'revealed' and one star who could be 'benched'.

Speaking about joining the show, Lewis - who has starred on Emmerdale as Nicky Miligan - said: "I'm so excited to be swapping the Dales for the dance floor and joining this year's Strictly Come Dancing. I've always been a fan of the show and cannot wait to get started!" Lewis only found out on Monday that he was joining the show.

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Lewis will be known to soap fans as Emmerdale's Nicky - the son of Caleb and Ruby Miligan. He is no longer in the village but his sister and parents still are. Lewis has also had roles in Vera and he worked with David Beckham on an advertising campaign.

Just hours earlier, actor and DJ Kristian revealed that he has stepped back for "medical reasons". He said in a statement: “With a heavy heart, I have to step back from this series of Strictly Come Dancing due to unexpected medical reasons. 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. Thank you all for your support, and I will be back on my feet very soon, in every sense. Love to all, Kristian."

Kristian later released a longer statement, reassuring fans that he's "under treatment already". He said: "I’ve been given the amazing opportunity of Strictly but sadly I’m having to withdraw. Like so many people at the minute, I have 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 have always powered through things like this in the past and any other time of my life actually.

"Honestly I think I’ve got a pretty healthy attitude towards stuff like this. I thought I did at least. For the first time it’s manifested physically. And it’s caused a spike in my vitals. It’s entered an area of concern. I’m a big guy. Always have been, ever since I stepped foot on this earth.

"So I take my health very seriously and I do see my doctor all the time. I was checked for the show two weeks before. And everything was fine. So he was happy for me to take part. Please note, I’m ok. I’m under treatment already. And my doctor isn’t concerned."

He added: "And after 2-3 weeks I’ll be pretty much back to normal. But sadly I don’t have time for the show now, for all the training and everything like that. And I also don’t want to leave them, you and the other contestants hanging. It’s not really fair. I’m gutted to say the least.

"I was really looking forward to taking part in this. So the guys in the show, I’m not going to lie, they’ve been completely understanding. I’ve honestly felt 100% supported so I’m really grateful for that. So let’s see what happens when I get sorted. I’m going to be taking it easy for now. And I’ll be able to return to work very shortly.

"I was so excited for this. Not only for myself but for the amazing people from my home of Northern Ireland. It’s always been an honour in my weird way to show I’m from NI. I’m sorry if I’ve let you down in any way but I will continue to do my best. We live in strange crazy times at the minute so please look after yourself, don’t ignore with something that’s going on inside your head.

"This is something that I haven’t dealt with before so this is a surprise for me. I always thought I had this. To my fellow contestants, although it was brief, I really enjoyed meeting you. It’s a really great bunch of people and I’m really looking forward to watching and seeing how well you all do. Who knows what the future holds? I’m totally still here. Creating in my own haphazard way and trying to be better than ever. And don’t worry guys, I’ve totally got this. Love you all. Thank you for all the support."

Sarah James, Executive Producer at BBC Studios, added: "We’ve absolutely loved getting to know Kristian in this short time, and he has all the makings of a brilliant Strictly Come Dancing contestant. We’re incredibly sorry to lose him from this year’s series and we all wish him a speedy recovery."

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