Delta Goodrem returns to Strictly with first 10 after rib injury sidelines her

Delta Goodrem’s return to Strictly Come Dancing brought a first 10 of the season, but the bigger test now is how she and Kai Widdrington keep their partnership moving without rushing her recovery. After missing Icons Week with a rib injury, Goodrem says she is taking things day by day and learning how to get her body back to dancing.

The Australian actress and musician, 41, had started strongly alongside professional dancer Widdrington, 31. Their salsa brought a high-energy performance and put them at the top of the leaderboard; an emotional American smooth had also helped establish them as a pair with range. Then the injury interrupted their progress, leaving Goodrem watching from home while her partner danced on without her.

She described the setback as a sharp change from the excitement of their early weeks. “We had such an incredible time when we got to do the salsa, and we were just so thrilled,” she said. “There was such a fantastic energy on the night. We were stoked, ending on the top of the leaderboard.”

Goodrem had felt pain before the problem worsened, but she couldn’t identify one moment that caused it. She joked that her rib had “had enough” by the end of the night and suggested the strain may have come from “a combination” of lifts and tricks in training. It was an unfamiliar injury for a performer who says she has been onstage for most of her life.

“I jumped into this incredible experience with everything I’ve got, like I do in life, and we’ve been trying a lot of different things,” she said. “It was a shock to go from being so happy to experiencing that surprise challenge we had to deal with.”

A hospital visit made clear that she would have to miss the following live show. Goodrem said she and the team had to accept that decision, then work towards a gradual return to the dance floor. Rest and medical advice came before the comeback, even as she admitted she had to resist the urge to get back to “full force” too soon.

That measured approach shaped their return. Goodrem and Widdrington danced a rumba to a Celine Dion song, and the performance earned the series’ first 10 of the season. It was a statement result after an enforced break, though the score doesn’t remove the need to manage the injury carefully in rehearsals and future routines.

“Having been performing my whole life, I understand I will have to find those ways of helping my body to get back up moving,” Goodrem said. “I am a fighter; I have a fighting spirit, so I will continue on this wonderful journey.” She called it a new injury she had never encountered before, and said the experience had become a process of learning how to look after her body.

Widdrington is balancing the performance demands of the contest against the need to reduce physical strain. “We’re obviously mindful of [the injury]. We’re not gonna go out there and do some crazy lifts and backbends that are gonna put strain on her. We’re taking it step by step.” His task is to find choreography that gives Goodrem a moment on the floor while allowing her to build back towards full capacity.

The choreographer has faced a painful competition setback before: his 2021 partner, TV presenter AJ Odudu, had to withdraw from the grand final while injured. This time, he says, the priority is to create dances that let Goodrem shine without asking too much of her recovery. That could mean adapting the choreography to her current limits as they assess what she can manage.

A Charleston may be some weeks away, and the Icons routine they missed could yet return if they stay in the competition. Widdrington said they haven’t asked the show to change their schedule to favour slower dances. The rumba simply happened to be the dance allocated for their comeback week, with Halloween next on the schedule.

“Maybe we’ll go back and revisit a dance we had planned for last week,” he said, leaving the possibility open without promising a specific routine. For Goodrem, continuing on the show carries a personal weight: she has come from Australia to compete, loves learning to dance and wants to give the experience everything she can.

The first 10 confirms their partnership can still make an impact after the interruption. The next measure will be whether Goodrem can keep progressing at a pace her body can handle, while Widdrington finds choreography that preserves their spark. “We’ll go as far as we can take this,” she said.

Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturdays and Sundays on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.