Kerre Woodham is returning to Dancing with The Stars. Photo / Supplied
Kerre Woodham is returning to Dancing with The Stars. Photo / Supplied
Comedian Rhys Mathewson and his dance partner Phoebe Robb are the latest cast members to leave Dancing with The Stars after testing positive for Covid-19.
Mathewson and Robb will be replaced by Newstalk ZB host Kerre Woodham, who will return to the competition with her dance partner Jared Neame.
WarnerBrothers Discovery revealed the news this afternoon in a statement, saying "Kerre Woodham will return to Three's Dancing With The Stars NZ competition, as stand-up comedian Rhys Mathewson and his dance partner Phoebe Robb have unfortunately tested positive for Covid-19."
Woodham said she was "devastated" for the contestants who had to leave the competition.
"But the show's gotta go on, and it certainly takes an awful whole lot of pressure off - the fact that we're there to keep the show ticking over!"
Speaking on a special edition episode of her podcast Inside Dancing with The Stars this afternoon, Woodham revealed how she felt about being back in the competition - and having to learn two dances for this weekend in two days.
"Are you freaking kidding me? I'd kissed, blessed and released the glitter ball. Now I can see it.
Speaking to Woodham on the podcast, Rhys Mathewson said he was still processing the news.
"It's still sinking in - I'm really gutted."
It's the third time Covid has derailed a stint on DWTS for the comedian, after production was shut down in 2020 due to the first nationwide lockdown.
Murray revealed on the podcast that he had been "sick as a dog" but had tested negative every day until yesterday morning.
It was announced yesterday that the Olympic rowing great was out of the competition after testing positive for the virus and is isolating at home.
"We have found out that Eric Murray has gone down with Covid which means that him and Loryn are now out of the comp," host Sharyn Casey said last night during The Project.
Rhys Mathewson and Phoebe Robb have both tested positive for Covid-19. Photo / Supplied
BBC Studios format rules indicate that the most recently eliminated contestant is to be invited back to the show, Three said - so Alex Vaz, who was eliminated on Monday night, is back in with his partner Brittany Coleman.
The Herald revealed the show had been hit with its first case yesterday - shortly before Discovery announced the news on The Project.
Discovery released a statement in an all-media release 10 minutes after the show aired.
Eric Murray said in the statement that he was "very disappointed that our ending has come down to Covid, but it's always a risk we took at this current time.
"I'm looking forward to watching my fellow competitors dance, and we'll be back to watch the grand finale to celebrate who comes out on top!"
Brodie Kane, who dances in the competition with Enrique Johns, revealed she is also feeling under the weather - and that Covid had broken out among crew members on the set of the show.
Speaking on her podcast The Girls Uninterrupted this morning, she revealed she is "paranoid" about catching Covid and is feeling "run down".
"I'm doing everything to try not to get it but the circle just keeps closing."
"There's been people that have come to the show, people that work on the show that have had it. So you're taking steps RAT testing every day because we've come too far now, have got to keep going."
The cast, crew and staff members working on the show are required to return negative RATs every day before starting work at the Epsom studio.
A spokesperson for Discovery confirmed to the Herald that the show's production team are currently working through contingency plans to put in place if more contestants test positive for the virus.
The cast members have critical worker passes and can stay on the show if they are a household contact, as long as they lodge separately and keep testing negative, the spokesperson said.
According to Discovery, there are no plans to postpone the finale at this stage.
Many of the members of the cast can be seen on social media in the last 24 hours, posting photos out with friends and at restaurants, with only a handful of celebrities not posting.
The positive result is a blow to the production, which was postponed last year for the second time in a row due to the Covid-19 restrictions in place at the time.
Dancing with the Stars returned to our screens last month after a three-year hiatus.
