After a bumpy few months for Strictly Come Dancing, the long-running show is officially back.
Saturday night’s pre-recorded launch show saw the 15 new celebrities in the cast discovering which of Strictly’s resident professional dancers they’ll be performing with for the duration of the series.
Just in case you missed it – here’s the full list of celebrities and their professional dance partners:
- Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell
- Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas
- JB Gill and Amy Dowden
- Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe
- Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk
- Paul Merson and Karen Hauer
- Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystał
- Punam Krishan and Gorka Márquez
- Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec
- Tom Dean and Nadiya Bychkova
- Toyah Willcox and Neil Jones
- Sam Quek and Nikita Kuzmin
- Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola
- Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu
- Wynne Evans and Katya Jones
These 15 pairings are now in training for the first live show of the series, which is due to air on BBC One on Saturday 21 September.
Neil Jones’ partnership with Toyah Wilcox marks his first partnership on the show since he danced with Nina Wadia in 2021.
Meanwhile, Michelle Tsiakkas has received her first ever celebrity partner in EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick, having been part of the Strictly team since 2022.
Unfortunately, this also means that – as was previously rumoured – Carlos Gu, Kai Widdrington and Lauren Oakley will not be getting celebrity partners in 2024. However, they will remain part of the show’s resident dance troupe, and continue to appear in group dances.
Saturday’s launch also marked the triumphant return of Amy Dowden to the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom, after having to sit out last year’s series due to cancer treatment she was undergoing at the time.
Aljaž Škorjanec is also back in the show after a three-year absence, occupying a slot previously held by Graziano Di Prima, after he abruptly left the show in July.