Beloved ‘Game of Thrones’ Star Suffers Health Scare, Backs out of His Next Show

Game of Thrones actor Kristian Nairn is “gutted” to have to pull out of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing due to health reasons.

The 49-year-old actor, who is best known for playing Hodor on the HBO fantasy drama, took to Instagram Thursday to reveal why he would “sadly” have to withdraw from Strictly this year.

“Like so many people at the minute, I’ve been dealing with a high level of stress and a little bit of grief, if I’m going to be really real,” Nairn said. “I’ve always been my mother’s son and I’ve always powered through things like this in the past. I think I’ve got a pretty healthy attitude towards stuff like this. Well, I thought I did, at least.”

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A post shared by Kristian Nairn (@kristiannairn)

“But for the first time it’s manifested physically and has caused a spike in my vitals as sort of an area of concern,” he continued, adding, “I am a big guy, always have been, ever since I set foot on this Earth, so I take my health very seriously, and I do see my doctor all the time, and I was checked for the show two weeks before [the casting announcement] and everything was fine, so he was happy for me to take part.”

Nairn insisted, “Please know I’m OK. I’m under treatment already, and my doctor isn’t concerned. After two, maybe three weeks, I’ll be pretty much back to normal, but sadly… it’s not going to be in time for all the training and everything like that.”

The actor added, “I’m gutted. I was really looking forward to taking part in this.” Despite the difficult decision to pull out, Nairn said he was “100% supported” by the Strictly producers and team.

“I’m going to be taking it easy for now, and I’ll be able to return to work very shortly,” Nairn said in his Instagram video. “We live in strange, crazy times at the moment. So without being preachy, please look after yourself. Don’t ignore what’s going on inside your head.”

He continued, “This is something I haven’t dealt with before, so this has really come as a surprise for me. I always thought I had this,” asking people not to worry, as he’s “totally got this.”

In a statement to the BBC, Strictly executive producer Sarah James said, “We’ve absolutely loved getting to know Kristian in this short time, and he has all the makings of a brilliant Strictly Come Dancing contestant.” James added, “We’re incredibly sorry to lose him from this year’s series and we all wish him a speedy recovery.”

Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope will replace Nairn on this year’s show. “I’m so excited to be swapping the Dales for the dance floor and joining this year’s Strictly Come Dancing. I’ve always been a fan of the show and cannot wait to get started!” he said in a statement.