Strictly Come Dancing stars share statement after 'difficult circumstances'
Fans were left disheartened as Strictly Come Dancing luminaries Dianne Buswell and Vito Coppola announced the cancellation of part of their evening's programme.
In the throes of their Red Hot and Ready tour, Dianne, 36, and Vito, 32, were set to dazzle the audience last night (22 June) at the prestigious Shaftesbury Theatre in London's West End. The blow came for those who had shelled out for the Meet and Greet package; they received news that this element was axed.
Emails bore the disappointing message: "We're sorry to inform you but due to very difficult circumstances that have occurred today, today's meet and greet with Dianne and Vito has unfortunately been cancelled."
The communication extended the twosome's sincerest apologies and recognised the unfortunate disruption. It reassured ticket holders that, despite this setback, the pair were ready to carry on with Sunday's show.
(Image: Red Hot & Ready)
Guaranteeing a refund, the organisers strove to soothe ruffled feathers, reports the Express.
This setback came after Dianne conceded to experiencing a challenging period on tour, confessing: "I've been struggling, I've had a struggle struggle week."
In her chat on the Winning Isn't Everything podcast alongside ex-partner Chris McCausland, she confided: "Because I did have a moment, I've cried and everything, I had a moment where I thought, 'I feel really bad when I used to be so mean to Chris about being sick'."
Joining in the banter, the comic jested: "Hang on, when we did Strictly, I'm just trying to think, even when I was bad or injured," prompting an interjection from Dianne who quipped: "You were quite sick a lot."
(Image: BBC)
He retorted: "How many times did I cry that wasn't for joyous, emotional reasons? How many times did I cry because of illness or pain or sadness?" After taking a moment to reflect, he humorously added that the number was "zero".
In her defence, Dianne remarked that women often appear "much more emotional" than men, reasoning that hormones play a role.
The dancer, famed for her relationship with YouTuber Joe Suggs, and her colleague Vito branched out following the annual national tour of Strictly Come Dancing – which, this year, marked the first time without its reigning champion.
Chris, achieving a milestone as the first blind victor in 2024, missed the tour due to a calendar conflict with his own engagements.
At that juncture, he released a statement regarding the tour collision: "I'm afraid I will not be able to do the Strictly tour. My own tour was meant to be on the road in September and a lot of dates were moved to Jan and Feb to accommodate doing #Strictly."
He lamented: "It's unfortunate as it's been so much fun, but my own dates can't be moved for a second time."
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