Strictly Come Dancing has officially kicked off its 24th series, signaling a new chapter for the popular competition as it introduces a revamped presenting lineup. Broadcaster Emma Willis, comedian Josh Widdicombe, and former series professional dancer Johannes Radebe have stepped into the roles previously held by long-standing duo Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who departed the programme last year.
The launch broadcast featured a fresh group of famous participants stepping onto the ballroom floor, including actress Melanie Walters and former England footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips. Following an energetic opening dance routine involving the entire cast, Willis described her new position as a “genuine honour.” Her co-hosts also shared their opening night nerves, with Radebe complimenting Widdicombe’s footwork and Widdicombe admitting the experience felt “a little bit overwhelming” but expressing his delight at joining the show.
For the first time in the series’ history, the celebrity contestants were matched with their professional partners through a sequence of three dance routines, functioning similarly to a musical chairs format until each couple was finalized. Among the pairings announced, Lacey Turner is matched with Vito Coppola, while Dani Dyer, who is returning to the competition after withdrawing from last year’s series due to an ankle fracture, is paired with Nikita Kuzmin. Following the announcement, a joyous Dyer stated she was “so, so happy,” while Kuzmin noted he had “tears of joy” during the reveal.
The full list of pairings includes Chris Appleton with Amy Dowden, Delta Goodrem with Kai Widdrington, Cach Mercer with Maddie Ingoldsby, Will Best with Dianne Buswell, Dame Sarah Storey with Julian Caillon, Jaime Winstone with Carlos Gu, Bethany Antonia with Nancy Xu, Shaun Wright-Phillips with Alexis Warr, Graeme Hall with Lauren Oakley, Lawrence Robb with Jowita Przystał, Tabby Stoecker with Mark Karmalita, John Nellis with Katya Jones, and Melanie Walters with Aljaž Škorjanec. Notably, Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu form the show’s third-ever same-sex female pairing, with Antonia sharing that watching Nicola Adams and Katya Jones in 2020 was a significant moment in her own coming-out journey.
The episode also saw the return of reigning champion and former Lioness Karen Carney. She performed a final routine alongside Carlos Gu, recreating the Jive that solidified her status as a top contender in her series. As she reflected on her time, she remarked, “I absolutely feel like I’m at home.” Carney is set to hand over the glitterball trophy to the new victor in 13 weeks.
This series also welcomes five new professional dancers to the cast: Aleksandra Isaeva, Cristian Priori, Lethabo Monametsi, Maddie Ingoldsby, and Mark Karmalita. Hailing from Canada, Italy, South Africa, Ukraine, and the UK, the group made a high-impact debut by performing on top of a large, caged disco ball.
While the judging panel of Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas, and Anton Du Beke played a slightly more understated role during the launch, the show retained its classic elements. Horwood kept his reputation as the resident villain, targeting broadcaster Will Best by joking about his hip movement: “Call in the paramedics darling, dislocation – my goodness.” As the evening concluded and the initial excitement settled, the new trio of hosts closed the show with the traditional command to “staaart dancing!” The report also notes that one pair who won’t need to get to know each other are reality TV star Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin. The report also notes that and some other traditions remain intact.
