Kai Widdrington was left feeling disappointed when he discovered he wouldn’t be part of the main competition on Strictly Come Dancing this year.
The British dancer is one of three Strictly pros who don’t have a celebrity partner on the current series, as viewers discovered during last week’s pre-recorded launch show.
Speaking to the Daily Star, Kai shared: “Everyone wants to get a celebrity. Unfortunately it wasn’t my time this series.
“Two boys couldn’t have one this series and sadly I am one of them. Some of us don’t get partners and that’s the way it is.”
He added: “Let’s see what happens next year. Hopefully I’ll get one then.”
As well as Kai, Carlos Gu and Lauren Oakley have also been benched this year, but remain part of Strictly’s troupe of professionals, and will continue to appear in group routines over the course of the series.
This year marks Kai’s first year without a partner, having previously been paired up with Big Brother host AJ Odudu, Loose Women anchor Kaye Adams and TV personality Angela Rippon.
He joined Strictly in 2021, having previously been a pro on the Irish version of the show, Dancing With The Stars.
Kai did already have a Strictly connection, though, as he once lived with former professional Giovanni Pernice while the Italian dancer was still part of the show.
Back in 2022, he and fellow Strictly pro Nadiya Bychkova made headlines when it was revealed they were in a relationship, although they were reported to have split up earlier this year.
All 15 of this year’s Strictly pairings have spent the last week rehearsing for the first live show of the series, which is due to air on Saturday night on BBC One.