huge blow
Strictly star Chris McCausland suffers major blow ahead of series final as family are forced to change live show plans
It comes after he was hailed the 'unwavering frontrunner'
STRICTLY Come Dancing finalist Chris McCausland will sadly be two supporters down in the show's live audience tonight in a major blow for the star.
The blind comedian, who has wowed BBC audiences with his routines alongside professional partner Dianne Buswell, 35, won't have his parents cheering from the crowd at London's Elstree Studios.
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Chris, 47 - who is the bookies favourite for the Glitterball trophy, but will still need votes from Strictly fans to get him over the line - will perform three routines during the programme.
Yet his mum and dad, John, 71, and Valerie, 69, will be watching from home due to illness.
John confirmed they sadly would not be making the trip fro Liverpool to London and said of their son: "We're very proud of him - he's done very well."
They added to: "Unfortunately the wife's in bed with flu so we're not able to go down and see him."
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He then teased: "You never know," when quizzed about the stand-up's chances of winning the coveted title during what is Strictly's 20th season.
Chris began to lose his eyesight from the age of 16 and previously told how his mum and grandmother also suffered from the condition retinitis pigmentosa.
It is a rare genetic disorder which involves the breakdown of cells in the retina, with sight loss caused as they deteriorate.
LAST DANCE
Chris was left in tears after having swerved the semi final dance off last weekend.
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The star - who was branded the "underdog" from the offset - has captured the hearts of the nation with his hard work, technical routines and jaw-dropping lifts.
Strictly 'underdog' left in tears as he makes the final after dodging semi-final dance off
He recently admitted he hadn't even heard the Strictly theme tune before the show - but now thinks it's more important than his beloved football.
Tonight's final 2024 episode, aired on BBC One, will see Chris battle it out against actress Sarah Hadland, JLS hitmaker JB Gill and Love Island alum Tasha Ghouri.
Each will perform a trio of routines, including their new showdance.
FAN FAVE
Chris has been hailed as "almost certain" to scoop the strictly title following the flood of support from fans.
All your Strictly Come Dancing winners
Strictly first kicked off back in 2004, and over the years has crowned 21 winners.
Here is a full list of who has been lucky enough to win the famous Glitterball Trophy:
- 2004 - Natasha Kaplinsky
- 2004 - Jill Halfpenny
- 2005 - Darren Gough
- 2006 - Mark Ramprakash
- 2007 - Alesha Dixon
- 2008 - Tom Chambers
- 2009 - Chris Hollins
- 2010 -
- 2011 - Harry Judd
- 2012 - Louis Smith
- 2013 - Abbey Clancy
- 2014 - Caroline Flack
- 2015 - Jay McGuiness
- 2016 - Ore Oduba
- 2017 - Joe McFadden
- 2018 - Stacey Dooley
- 2019 - Kelvin Fletcher
- 2020 - Bill Bailey
- 2021 - Rose Ayling-Ellis
- 2022 - Hamza Yassin
- 2023 - Ellie Leach
This morning, he was all smiles as he left his hotel with Dianne ready for the big day.
He appeared in good spirits, posing for a snap with Dianne and her fellow pros Nancy Xu and Lauren Oakley.
Meanwhile, bookies today told The Sun how the 8 Out Of 10 Cats panelist is the "unwavering frontrunner" - with odds of 1/20 to win.
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They added: "With odds of 1/20 and a 95 per cent probability of victory, our trading team tells me he’s the shortest-priced Strictly frontrunner in the market’s history.
"We’ve never seen a favourite this strong!"
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