Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Murder off the dancefloor
Strictly favourite Joe killed off in Holby doc role two months ago
STRICTLY Come Dancing favourite Joe Mcfadden was sensationally killed off in Holby City last night – after he secretly quit the BBC drama two months ago.
His surgeon character Raf di Lucca was gunned down by Fredrik, the son of Raf ’s boss Henrik Hanssen, who went on the rampage in the hospital.
Joe, 42, filmed the scenes two months ago, meaning he has been away from the Holby set for most of the time he has been competing on Strictly – and has even lied about it in interviews.
Joe, who played Raf for four years, says: “We filmed the last scenes a couple of months back. I wasn’t allowed to talk about it because they didn’t want to lessen the impact. It’s been hard, as I’ve been doing lots of interviews. “
He said he hoped to avoid a backlash in the weekend’s Strictly semi-final as viewers realise he has not been juggling a hectic filming schedule with his intensive dance training. He and professional dance partner Katya Jones have been free to train all day since early in the competition.
“It couldn’t have worked out better,” he said. “I wasn’t run too ragged. It’s been really great because it means that I’ve been able to concentrate on Strictly and my dancing.
“It’s all worked out for the best.”
Joe – one of the favourites to lift the Glitterball trophy next weekend – said he chose to leave the hospital drama because he wants to return to the stage. “Holby’s a great show to be part of but I really miss being on stage live,” he says.
“I really want to be up there, getting that buzz.
“I’d love to do musicals and hopefully this will perhaps open those kind of doors.”