Strictly Come Dancing 2019: Will Bayley leaves the competition

There's some bad news for Strictly fans - Will Bayley has had to leave the competition because of an injury.

The 31-year-old Paralympian, who was partnered with professional dancer Janette Manrara, hurt his knee during rehearsals for last week's Halloween special.

It meant he didn't dance during the show.

It's now been announced that he's had to quit.

He said "Strictly has been an amazing experience and I've loved every minute of it, I want to say a special thank you to Janette for believing in me. I've had the time of my life."

Will leaves the competition in its sixth week and is the second celebrity this year to have to pull out because of an injury.

Made in Chelsea star Jamie Laing was the first after he hurt his foot before the series launched. He was replaced by Emmerdale actor Kelvin Fletcher.

Will and Janette's best score from the judges came in week five, when they received 32 points for their contemporary dance to Lukas Graham's 7 Years.

Janette said she is "absolutely devastated that Will and I will not be able to continue dancing. We made some incredible memories that I will never forget".

Strictly's executive producer, Sarah James, said: "We are so sad that Will is unable to continue on the show. He will be greatly missed and we wish him a speedy recovery."

Will said his sights are now firmly set on defending his Paralympic title in Tokyo next summer and that he doesn't want to risk getting any further injuries by continuing with the show.

He added: "Learning to dance is really going to help me when I am playing table tennis. It has improved my balance and strengthened my core so I think that will really help my movement around the table. It has also shown me that I can do things I never thought were possible."

Strictly Come Dancing has told Newsround that Will won't be replaced in the competition and there'll only be three celebrities in the final (just like when singer, Will Young, pulled out in 2016).

Nine couples are now left and the final will be on 14 December.

How do you feel about Will having to quit? Will you miss seeing him and Janette dance? Let us know in the comments below.