Delta Goodrem's Fractured Rib Cost Her a Royal Meeting

Delta Goodrem has revealed that a fractured rib forced her to miss a planned meeting with Queen Camilla and a week of the BBC competition Strictly Come Dancing. The Australian singer, 41, made a return to the ballroom on the most recent episode, achieving the first perfect score of the series for her rumba with professional partner Kai Widdrington.

Despite her successful comeback, Goodrem stated that she is approaching her Strictly journey "day by day" as she continues to recover. She believes the injury occurred during a demanding rehearsal period where she and Widdrington, 31, were attempting numerous lifts.

"I didn't, no," Goodrem told The Mail on Sunday when asked if she had met the Queen despite her injury. "Last week I missed out on a lot of wonderful things that were happening. It was unfortunate that it was that week, that there were a couple of wonderful things in the calendar. But that’s okay. I accept this as life and you’ve just got to keep moving forward."

Goodrem explained that the injury developed after rehearsals for the salsa she and Widdrington performed earlier in the month. Although she initially continued dancing, the pain intensified after the pair topped the leaderboard with 33 points, earning the series' first nine.

"I noticed that I’d had some pain and it just started to really go downhill," she said. "I had gone through trying so many lifts. I’ve really jumped into this incredible experience with everything I’ve got, like I do in life. It was at the end of the night that the rib decided it had had enough and it was done."

When asked about her bandages for the show, Goodrem joked about the possibility of adding sparkle. She also expressed a desire to feature more music from her homeland, Australia, in the competition, and was open to performing a song by fellow Australian pop star Kylie Minogue.

"Yeah, I love that. The Aussies all check in. We’re all connected and I always feel the love and support from my homeland. Definitely, of course, I’ve got my patriotic heart with some of the Aussie music," Goodrem stated.

Both Goodrem and Minogue gained fame on the Australian soap opera Neighbours, with Minogue playing Charlene Robinson before Goodrem joined as Nina Tucker in 2002.

Goodrem and Widdrington performed their rumba to Celine Dion’s "It’s All Coming Back To Me Now" after receiving medical clearance. Judge Anton Du Beke called it his "favourite dance of the series by a million miles," and Craig Revel Horwood described the performance as "totally and absolutely gorgeous."

Revel Horwood awarded her seven points, Motsi Mabuse nine, Shirley Ballas eight, and Du Beke gave a ten, bringing their total to 34. Goodrem's emotional response was, "It was a tough week this week. The fact that I get to dance, I’m thrilled."

Their score of 34 placed them second on the leaderboard, behind Olympic skeleton champion Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita, who received 37 points for their Couple’s Choice performance. At the bottom of the leaderboard were Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr with 17 points.

The show also experienced a scoring error when an on-screen graphic displayed the incorrect total for Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola, showing a seven instead of Shirley Ballas's score of six. Host Emma Willis addressed the blunder live, confirming the correct score.

The episode was further marked by apparent disagreements among the judges, including an exchange between Revel Horwood and Mabuse, and Revel Horwood playfully interacting with Ballas's props.