Why Are Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin Paired Again on Strictly 2026?

Dani Dyer getting Nikita Kuzmin as her Strictly Come Dancing 2026 professional partner may feel familiar because it is. Dani and Nikita were originally paired for the 2025 series, but an ankle injury forced her to withdraw before they ever got the chance to compete together in a live show. Their 2026 reunion effectively gives the partnership the Strictly journey it lost last year.

Strictly has not publicly given a detailed explanation for why producers chose to reunite the pair rather than give Dani a different professional. However, the launch show clearly treats it as a second chance, even announcing that Dani and Nikita are the first couple in Strictly history to be paired together twice.

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Why Did Dani Dyer Leave Strictly in 2025?

Dani was part of the Strictly Come Dancing 2025 cast and was paired with Nikita during that season’s launch show. Their partnership ended almost immediately when Dani fractured her ankle while rehearsing shortly before the first live competition show.

Medical advice meant continuing would have risked making the injury worse, so Dani withdrew before she and Nikita had performed a scored routine together. Amber Davies was subsequently brought into the competition as Dani’s replacement and partnered with Nikita, eventually reaching the 2025 final with him.

For Dani, the timing made the withdrawal especially difficult because she had already started training and experienced the excitement of being paired. Months later, she openly said she would love another opportunity and that she would answer the phone if Strictly invited her back.

Dani and Nikita Get Their Second Chance in 2026

That second chance arrived when Dani joined the 2026 cast. The uncertainty remained over whether Strictly would reunite her with Nikita or treat the new season as a completely fresh start with another professional.

The launch-show pairing twist eventually brought them back together. Dani reacted with relief, while Nikita said he had genuinely hoped they would be reunited even though he could not know beforehand what the final pairing would be.

That response helps explain why the pairing feels less like Strictly repeating itself and more like finishing something that was interrupted. Dani and Nikita technically became a Strictly couple in 2025, but viewers never got to see what they could do once the competition actually began.

Are Dani and Nikita the First Strictly Couple to Be Paired Twice?

Yes. During the 2026 launch show, Dani and Nikita are introduced as the first couple in Strictly history to be paired together twice.

The circumstances make the record unusual because their first partnership never progressed into the live competition. Dani’s injury meant that Nikita ultimately spent the 2025 season competing with Amber rather than Dani, so the 2026 reunion does not give Dani an advantage based on having already completed a full season with him.

She does have some familiarity with Nikita’s teaching style and a small amount of previous rehearsal experience, but Dani had only trained briefly before the ankle fracture ended her first attempt.

Is Dani Dyer Fully Recovered From Her Ankle Injury?

Dani returned after recovering from the injury that forced her out in 2025, although she has spoken about the understandable fear that comes with attempting Strictly again. Reporting ahead of her return noted that she remained conscious of the possibility of another injury after what happened the previous year.

Her return therefore gives Dani something most Strictly contestants never receive: an opportunity to restart a journey that ended through circumstances outside her control. This time, she also gets to restart it with the same professional who was beside her when the original attempt began.

Whether that familiarity becomes an advantage will not really be clear until the live dances start. For now, the important difference is simple: Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin were paired once before, but Strictly 2026 is the first time they will actually get the chance to compete together.