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Dani Dyer put her Strictly Come Dancing heartache behind her as she stepped out in the capital for the gala performance of Elf The Musical on Thursday night. The 29-year-old former Love Island winner was forced to pull out of this year’s series before the first live show after fracturing her ankle. Dyer — who was paired with professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin for the BBC competition — admitted afterwards that she was devastated, prompting her actor dad Danny Dyer to offer some typically blunt advice that she needed to “pull up them big girl knickers, and we f****** get on with it.” On the latest episode of her and The Rivals star’s Live and Let Dyers podcast, released on November 6, the mum-of-three revealed she is still undergoing physiotherapy for the injury. However, she appeared to have taken her famous father’s words to heart as just hours later she was all smiles posing on the red carpet before enjoying some early festive fun at the stage show, based on Will Ferrell’s beloved 2003 film. Also attending the special performance were broadcaster Vanessa Feltz, TV favourite Dr Ranj, Steps singer Faye Tozer, and former EastEnders stars Nina Wadia and Preeya Kalidas. Playing for a strictly limited 10-week Christmas season, running from October 28 to January 3 at the Aldwych Theatre, Joel Montague, Carrie Hope Fletcher and Aled Jones lead the cast in the roles of Buddy, Jovie and Walter Hobbs respectively. In the words of Buddy, “the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear” — and theatregoers will find that in full force in a show packed with heart, humour, a flying sleigh and even snow. Meanwhile, Ferrell’s original green and yellow costume from the movie could fetch up to £200,000 when it goes under the hammer at Propstore’s Winter Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction next month. The sale, which also features the hoverboard used by Michael J Fox in Back To The Future Part II and III, opens with a public exhibition at The Cumberland Hotel in London from November 25 ahead of the live auction starting December 5.
