Paralympian Will Bayley Faces Lifelong Injury After Strictly Come Dancing Accident

Paralympian Will Bayley has revealed that he will have to endure chronic knee pain for the rest of his life after an injury sustained during his participation in Strictly Come Dancing. The 36-year-old table tennis player, who was born with arthrogryposis, sustained the injury in 2019 during rehearsals for the popular dance show.

Bayley injured his knee when he jumped from a table for the second time at the insistence of his professional dance partner, Janette Manrara, who deemed his first attempt 'rubbish.' Despite his careful attempts to practice the move, Bayley experienced 'the most horrific pain' upon landing with straight knees.

Recalling the incident, Bayley said, "We practiced a few times and I was really careful. But then Janette said my jump was ‘rubbish’ and I needed to smile more and go for it and show a bit of passion." Determined to improve, he gave it his all but ended up severely injuring his knee. "I was lying on the floor thinking my whole career was over. I heard my leg crack, I couldn’t breathe."

Bayley, who thought he had broken his leg, was later informed by a doctor that he had torn his anterior cruciate ligament. Despite his injury, he expressed no ill feelings towards Manrara, stating that she was under pressure from the show's bosses. The pair have remained friends, and Bayley praised her support during the ordeal, describing her as "like a rock."

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A BBC spokesperson commented, "We will not be commenting on individuals or engaging with speculation. However, as we have said previously, we will always listen if people want to make us aware of something or raise it with us directly and we have appropriate procedures and processes in place to manage this."

At the time of the injury, Bayley's participation in the show had to be cut short. He was given a week's pass but ultimately had to withdraw completely due to the severity of his injury. Appearing in the audience after his accident, he expressed his support for the remaining contestants and praised the support he had received throughout the process.

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Despite the setback, Bayley went on to achieve success at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, winning both individual and team silver medals. He remains positive about his future, stating, "I want to see what it’s like in a couple of weeks but I’ll be there in Tokyo. I want to try and win that gold medal again."

News Source:- dailymail.co.uk