Delta Goodrem reveals cause of Strictly rib injury after remarkable comeback

Delta Goodrem has opened up about the rib injury that forced her to miss a week of Strictly Come Dancing, revealing that she believes repeated lifts may have contributed to the fracture.

The Australian singer made an impressive return on Saturday 24 October, earning the first 10 of the 2026 series with professional partner Kai Widdrington, just days after being cleared to dance again.

The pair scored 34 out of 40 for their rumba to Celine Dion's It's All Coming Back To Me Now, placing them second on the leaderboard and firmly back among the competition's leading couples.

Delta explains how her injury happened

Speaking about the setback, Delta admitted the injury was unlike anything she had previously experienced.

"It's obviously a new injury that I've never encountered before," she explained, revealing that she could not identify one particular moment when the damage occurred.

Instead, the singer believes the repeated lifts involved in rehearsals and performances may have contributed to the problem, with the pain developing rapidly after one of their routines.

The injury forced Delta and Kai to miss the programme's Icons Week on 17 October, with the couple receiving a bye while she recovered.

The timing was particularly frustrating after their salsa had taken them to the top of the leaderboard. However, on 19 October, the BBC confirmed that Delta had received medical clearance to resume dancing.

Reflecting on her recovery, Delta described herself as a fighter and said the process had involved taking things one step at a time, with Kai supporting her throughout.

First 10 of the series marks impressive return

Delta's comeback proved particularly memorable when judge Anton Du Beke awarded the first 10 of this year's competition.

Anton described the rumba as his favourite dance of the series, while Motsi Mabuse welcomed Delta back and praised the quality of her performance.

The couple received scores of seven from Craig Revel Horwood, nine from Motsi, eight from Shirley Ballas and 10 from Anton, giving them a total of 34.

Although Delta secured the evening's first perfect score from an individual judge, Winter Olympic champion Tabby Stoecker subsequently topped the leaderboard with 37 points alongside Mark Karmalita.

Tabby's emotional Couple's Choice routine received two 10s, making it the highest-scoring performance of the series so far.

For Delta, however, the result was an encouraging return after a difficult fortnight in which her continued participation had depended on recovering sufficiently to dance.

Delta and Kai through to Halloween Week

Following Sunday's results show on 25 October, Delta and Kai remain in the competition and will return for next weekend's Halloween special.

Former footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips became the fourth celebrity eliminated after facing Jaime Winstone in the dance-off.

Despite improving on his Saturday performance, Shaun was eliminated after Anton Du Beke used his deciding vote to save Jaime, following a split decision among the judges.

Attention now turns to Saturday 31 October, when the remaining couples will perform their Halloween routines.

For Delta, the immediate challenge will be building on an impressive comeback while continuing to manage her recovery. Her return has already provided one of the competition's standout performances, with the first 10 of the series arriving just days after her medical clearance.

Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday 31 October at 6.30pm on BBC One, with episodes also available on BBC iPlayer.

Image credit: BBC