Strictly Come Dancing star John Whaite pulls out of stage role due to illness
Strictly Come Dancing and The Great British Bake Off star John Whaite has pulled out of a performance of pantomime Cinderella after falling ill.
Whaite is starring in the festive production of Cinderella at the Bradford Alhambra Theatre, playing the Fairy Godfather Dandini.
However, on Thursday (December 28), the role was filled by Whaite's understudy, William Elijah Lewis, after the baker couldn't make it.
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On his Instagram Stories, Whaite shared a photo of Lewis and wrote: "This little superstar stood in for me today (I'm ill) and apparently he was sensational.
"Proud of you (and so bloody grateful for you) @williamelijahlewis)."
There's no word on when Whaite will return to the stage, but the production, which also stars Emmerdale's Samantha Giles, is scheduled to run until January 21.
Meanwhile, Whaite revealed in October that he was quitting TV after Steph's Packed Lunch was cancelled.
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Whaite, who had been a regular on the Channel 4 show, told fans: "This is the truth, I was gonna leave TV this year anyway.
"That's why I've been off Packed Lunch for a couple of weeks just to get my head in gear, and I had just about come to the conclusion that I think my career in television is now done.
"I've had a great run, loved it, and I'll do the odd bit here and there but I need to focus my attention on business and my creativity, so that's where I am."
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays and Sundays on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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