Strictly Come Dancing fans are celebrating the show’s return following Saturday’s launch show, in which it was revealed which celebrities and pros have been paired up for the new series.
But unfortunately, with 18 dancers on Strictly’s professional line-up and only 15 celebrity contestants, it means that a handful have ended up on the bench this year.
For the first time since joining the show in 2021, Kai Widdrington has not been given a celebrity partner, having previously been paired up with AJ Odudu, Angela Rippon and Kaye Adams.
Similarly, Carlos Gu is also without a partner, following his previous pairings with Molly Rainford and Angela Scanlon.
And finally, Lauren Oakley – who danced with Krishnan Guru-Murthy in 2023 – will also not be part of the main competition this year.
However Kai, Carlos and Lauren will continue to appear in the show every week, as well as taking part in Strictly’s group numbers.
Meanwhile, Neil Jones’ partnership with Toyah Wilcox marks his first partnership on the main show since he danced with Nina Wadia back in 2021.
And Michelle Tsiakkas has received her first ever celebrity partner in EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick, having been part of the Strictly team since 2022.
Michelle’s inaugural partnership looks like it’s off to a strong start, too, after Jamie was crowned last year’s champion in the annual Strictly Christmas special.
The 15 pairings are now in training ahead of the first live show of the new series, which is due to air on BBC One on Saturday 21 September.