Why two Strictly Come Dancing 2024 stars were missing from the final dance

Strictly Come Dancing favourites Nick Knowles and Paul Merson were noticeably missing from the star-studded live final. DIY SOS presenter Nick and former footballer Paul did not join their fellow 2024 Strictly contestants for the last group performance on December 14, with stand-ins stepping in to dance, holding up photos of them instead.

Nick was the third to be eliminated from the series after a dance off loss to Shayne Ward, ex X Factor winner, and his partner Nancy Xu. Meanwhile, Paul, who had been the first to be voted off the show, told producers he was too unwell to attend.

A spokesperson for Strictly Come Dancing told The Sun: "Paul is unwell today unfortunately. He will be very much missed and is sad he couldn't make it."

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On BBC Radio Wales, chatting with fellow Strictly participant Wynne Evans, Nick recently revealed: "I was trying to play it down, because I was determined to go out dancing rather than sort of go out with the injury... I had the operation four weeks ago and that's all recovering quite nicely.

"I've got the operation on my knee, but it means, mate, that I'm not going to see you for the final. My operation's on the 12th, and the final's on the 14th.", reports the Mirror.

Nick candidly discussed his exit on the BBC Strictly spin-off show It Takes Two, confessing: "I had a week off, you can see actually everybody had progressed a lot in that week and I just didn't have time to be able to catch up and do well enough to stay in the competition."

He pragmatically added: "I think it was the right result in the end and it means that I can now get the various bits of me that are falling off sorted out. I might have an operation on the arm this week and then another operation on the knee in three weeks' time so I can get myself sorted."

Fans were quick to spot the stars missing from the big final performance for all of the stars. One fan wrote on X: "It was great to have celebs that did what they signed up to do with no moaning unlike last year, but no Paul or Nick in the group number."

"Have Nick and Paul got sick notes?," another asked, while a third commeted: "so nick and paul aren't there."