Alongside a snap of her with Ross in their Movie Week outfits, Karen penned: “Absolutely gutted. Since the beginning of this show @therossking has been a rock for me and is one of the most genuine and funny people I’ve ever met.
“Have loved every minute of our @bbcstrictly journey and will miss you loads but know I’ll have a mate for life.”
Speaking on the Strictly results show, Ross said about his time on the show: “I have loved every single minute of it.
“I would like to say thank you to everyone who has supported us, all the people who voted – they’ve been amazing.
“I want to thank everyone here in this room, backstage, the judges, the crew – every single person here has made me so, so welcome.
“And, I want to thank a very special lady who has been with me through it all and has been absolutely everything: she’s been a mentor, teacher, carer and I could not have wished for a better partner, and I could not have wished to be on a better show. Thank you judges for all your remarks.”
Meanwhile, Jowita shared: “Thank you so much for all of your work. For everything you have done during rehearsals.
“We laugh a lot – but we also cried! Thank you so much, and I hope I’m going to be a little part in your life forever.”
Both Jowita and Ross will appear on It Takes Two on Monday in their first TV interview after their elimination.
Ross also shared a number of snaps from his time on the show on Instagram as he reflected on his journey.
Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday 18 October at 6:30pm, with the results show on Sunday 19 October at 7:15pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer
Vicky Pattison has explained why her husband, Ercan Ramadan, is desperate for her to be booted from Strictly Come Dancing – and the impact the show is having on their married life
Vicky Pattison’s husband, Ercan Ramadan, wants her to be axed from the show(Image: Getty Images for BFC)
Vicky Pattison says husband Ercan Ramadan secretly hopes she gets the Strictly boot – so he can see more of his wife again. She says the couple have barely been together since she started on the BBC show as she trains for 14 hours a day – and it’s taken its toll on their sex life.
“After a full day doing the Charleston the last thing you feel like is going home to do the Mattress Mambo,” I’m A Celebrity winner Vicky laughed.
“He’s having to be a bit patient at the moment. I think he’s the only person in my inner circle who is secretly hoping I get booted out. He’s my number one supporter though. I am really lucky but he’s probably hoping he gets sex soon.”
Vicky, 37, admits she’s been miffed with Ercan, 32, this week after he jetted off on holiday without her. “He’s actually in the dog house at the moment,” she admitted. “Obviously I love my husband but he’s been on holiday to see his family.
“We had this trip booked and then I got Strictly so I told him to go because all I’ve been doing is rehearsing, coming home knackered, whinging and going to bed. I told him to go away because he deserved a break putting up with me.
“So he went and I’ve been coming home to an empty house. He’s not there. The dogs are in day care because I’m working 14-hours a day. I’m coming home alone and it’s dark and cold.
“You need that normality coming home to your lovely partner or your dogs when you are out of your comfort zone, scared, lonely, working hard. It’s been really hard without him but he’s back now.”
Dancing the Charleston to A Little Party Never Killed Nobody from The Great Gatsby, Vicky and partner Kai Widd have been getting lots of good luck messages from their celeb pals.
Angela Rippon, who danced with Kai last year, sent her best wishes to the pair. “We did have a call from Angela,” said Kai, 30. “She gave Vicky some words of advice.”
“She’s wicked for an older bird,” said Vicky. Kai continued: “I made it to Blackpool with Angela and I hope to think Vicky and I can go further. Vicky is what Strictly is all about. No dance experience. Starting from scratch. We have such a great relationship.”
Vicky has been open about her struggles with anxiety but say Kai has been amazing at settling her nerves.
“He does say this really lovely thing to me each week, he says: ‘It’s just me and you dancing’, and that helps because I get in my head. Everything I’ve learnt in the week just goes out of me head. I’m thinking about the judges, the audience, the people at home, all the things that are out of my control. So he’s a really good egg like that.”
It’s been a tough week for the pair, as they battled illness. Vicky also suffered a chipped tooth and a cut to the face after having a fall in rehearsals practising a “spicy lift”.
Undeterred, Vicky ploughed on and is eyeing up her best score yet this weekend, with a cheeky plan to try and get it. “I’ve been flirting with Anton (Du Beke),” she revealed. “I just want a seven and I’ve been flirting with him but he’s not bothered.”
Watch the Strictly results tonight at 7.15pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Tonight, fans watched on as the Strictly Come Dancing celebrities and pros took to the dance floor for week 3, here’s who topped the board in Movie Week
Tonight, the celebrities and professionals on took to the dance floor for the third time this series, in Strictly Come Dancing‘s Movie Week.
Last week, the show lost its first couple, Thomas Skinner and Amy Dowden, and tomorrow night, one more couple will be leaving the competition.
Last night, it was revealed that Stefan Dennis would be withdrawing from tonight’s live show due to illness. However, due to show rules, himself and his partner Dianne Buswell will be given a bye through to next week.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Lauren Oakley – 7 7 6 8 = 28
Vicky Pattison and Kai Widdrington – 5 7 6 7 = 25
Ellie Goldstein and Vito Coppola – 6 7 7 7 = 27
Alex Kingston and Johannes Radebe – 7 8 7 8 = 30
Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and Karen Hauer 8 8 8 8 = 32
Lewis Cope and Katya Jones – 9 10 9 9 = 37
Lewis impressed the judges the most this week, scoring the first 10 of the series – landing at the top of the leaderboard. Unfortunately, it was bad news for Ross and Jowita who placed at the bottom.
However, the game isn’t over yet. Although the judges scores do count, so do the public, so you still have a chance to help to save your favourite couple.
This year, there are two huge changes to the voting. Phone votes have been scrapped, meaning viewers can only vote online for their favourite couple.
Elsewhere, there has been a change in terms of how the judges make their decision in Sunday night’s dance off. At the end of the first live show, hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly announced a huge shake-up to the show after 7 years – the power is no longer in Shirley Ballas‘ hands.
For the last seven years, head judge Shirley has been responsible for the gruelling decision of choosing which couple in the bottom two should leave if the votes are tied after the dance off.
However, now it’s been announced that the power is going to be shared between the four judges, with a different judge holding the power each week.
“This changes everything!” exclaimed former Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison, as Lorraine star Ross King added: “I just can’t believe it!”
A former Strictly Come Dancing professional has revealed they wanted to return to the BBC One show after leaving in 2012 and being a part of the show for seven series.
A former Strictly Come Dancing professional has admitted they wanted to return(Image: BBC)
Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Vincent Simone has revealed he wanted to return to the BBC One show but “it didn’t work out”. The dancer joined the show in 2006 for the fourth series and did seven series before leaving it behind in 2012.
Now he’s opened up about his exit as he said: “The year I left Strictly Come Dancing, there were going to be big changes.
“Bruce Forsyth was leaving, and the show was moving from Shepherd’s Bush where we were there for seven years, and we were moving to Elstree Studios, which was a big change. It got to a point where I got to the final, and although I didn’t win, I was fully satisfied with how I’d done in the show.”
However, Vincent only intended on taking a short break from the show but he got to busy doing his other work that it didn’t end up materialising.
He continued to Daily Star: “Ideally, what I wanted was to take a year or two out of the show, and then to come back, but we all know that’s rare.
“If I could’ve had that chance to leave Strictly for a few years and then come back, that would’ve been ideal. I would’ve gone back, but those years after Strictly, I was fully committed to West End shows and my own shows.
“Then I went onto I’m A Celebrity, which I wouldn’t have been able to do if I was on Strictly. My career in touring and performing has made me feel very blessed.”
During his first series, Vincent was partnered with EastEnders actress Louisa Lytton and the pair made it all the way to the final four and were eliminated two weeks before the final.
The following year, the dancer was paired with actress Stephanie Beacham with the two being eliminated on week two but in 2008 he made a triumphant return when he came second with S Club 7 singer Rachel Stevens.
His next partner was EastEnders actress Natalie Cassidy, who he came fifth with, followed by his partnership with Felicity Kendal resulting in them being voted off in week seven.
In 2011, it was disappointment all around as he and Conservative party politician Edwina Currie were the first pair to be eliminated from the competition.
In Vincent’s final year, the performer and his partner, Tracy Beaker star Dani Harmer got eliminated a week before the final, ending their run in fourth place.
After quitting the show, he and dance partner Flavia Cacace continued to perform with stage shows and live tours.
In 2013, he took part on the thirteenth series of I’m A Celebrity, arriving as a late entrant to camp with actress Annabel Giles.
He finished in tenth place, being the third celebrity to leave in a double elimination with Matthew Wright.
The current series of the BBC One show is airing at the moment, with celebrities including Vicky Pattison, Alex Kingston, Amber Davies and Chris Robshaw attempting to lift the glitterball trophy.
The Apprentice star Thomas Skinner and his partner Amy Dowden became the first pair to leave the competition after landing in the bottom two with Chris and Nadiya Bychkova.
In his exit interview with Tess Daly, he said: “Thank you, Amy – sorry that we haven’t done too good, ’cause you’re a different class.
“I’ve never danced before and my stay was short, but Amy’s amazing. It’s been great fun and I’ve enjoyed it. I can’t really dance that well but I’ve had fun!”
Strictly Come Dancing continues tonight at 6:05pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Strictly hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly oversaw this year’s first results show
The first two contestants faced the dreaded Strictly dance-off on Sunday night to decide their fate.
And in the end, it was former Apprentice star Thomas Skinner who left the show, after judges voted to save former England rugby captain Chris Robshaw.
When asked by co-host Tess Daly about his experience on the show, Skinner, 34, paid tribute to his professional dance partner Amy Dowden.
“Thank you, Amy – sorry that we haven’t done too good, ’cause you’re a different class,” he said.
BBC/PA
Skinner hit the headlines before the series had even started, after walking out of a press conference early – something he later apologised for.
But the social media personality insisted he had “loved” his time on Strictly.
“I’ve never danced before and my stay was short, but Amy’s amazing. It’s been great fun and I’ve enjoyed it. I can’t really dance that well but I’ve had fun!”
BBC/PA
Thomas Skinner and Amy Dowden spoke about their experiences on the show after being defeated in the dance-off
On Sunday night, both couples performed their routines from Saturday once again.
Skinner and Dowden did their salsa to Bonkers by Dizzee Rascal and Armand van Helden, while Robshaw and his partner Nadiya Bychkova reprised their Viennese waltz to Die With A Smile by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars.
After the dances, the judges delivered their verdicts – and it was Robshaw and Bychkova who won the majority vote, leaving Skinner and Dowden to say their farewells.
Dowden also complimented her dance partner, saying: “I’ve got to know the real Tom, and he is adorable. He’s looked after me. We’ve laughed so much.”
BBC/PA
During Saturday night’s live show, Thomas Skinner bench-pressed his partner over his head
Dowden has been candid about her wish to get back on the dance floor following her diagnosis with breast cancer two years ago.
She made a return to Strictly in 2024 but had to pull out midway through the series due to an injury.
Speaking on Saturday night, she said winning the glitterball would have been “amazing”, but added: “What I’ve learnt in the last few years is happiness, health and being alive is more important than anything.”
Addressing Skinner, she went on to say: “The last three years as you know have been quite difficult for me. I lost all confidence as a dancer – but walking into the room with you with a massive smile and a laugh, you brought me back and, honestly, thank you.”
During Saturday night’s live show, Skinner – sporting a clingy, sparkly vest top – hoisted Dowden up so often during their routine, judge Craig Revel Horwood joked it looked more like a weightlifting competition.
They scored 13 points, placing them at the bottom of this week’s leaderboard.
Scores from week one and two were added to the public vote to decide which couples should face the dance-off.
Skinner first hit TV screens on The Apprentice in 2019, and has since appeared on shows including 8 Out of 10 Cats, The Wheel, Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, Good Morning Britain and Faking It, as well as Celebrity Masterchef.
He is also known for social media videos, runs a number of businesses, including a gym, and is a regular on TalkSport Radio.
The remaining 14 couples will take to the dancefloor next week for Movie Week.
Strictly Come Dancing viewers were left unimpressed as one pro dancer came under fire for making a pointed remark about fellow contestants
Strictly Come Dancing viewers divided as La Voix makes savage dig towards at co-stars(Image: BBC)
A Strictly Come Dancing celebrity has caused a stir after appearing to take a swipe at her fellow contestants over their previous dance training.
The beloved BBC dance competition returned this evening (October 4) with the second live show of the series, hosted by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.
New celebrities took to the floor to display their moves before judges Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, Motsi Mabuse, and Craig Revel Horwood, ahead of Sunday’s first elimination.
Opening tonight’s programme was La Voix with professional partner Aljaž Skorjanec, delivering a jive routine. But La Voix soon found herself under fire for her comments about rival contestants from the opening week.
Speaking about her co-stars from last week, she praised their performance as “incredible,” before adding: “One’s an athlete, one was doing tap in Billy Elliot, all I’ve done is JD Sports once a week, and the only tap I know is in Screwfix, it’s terrible, Claudia.”
But her comments failed to impress viewers at home. Writing on X, one fan remarked: “Not sure I like the little dig at other contestants there, especially as a performer on stage – hmm.”
A second added: “La Voix throwing clear shade at Amber and Lewis, referencing their previous dance experience. That’s not going to go down well.”
Another viewer commented: “La Voix saying that she did a great jive last week because she’s an athlete. No La Voix. She did it well because she’s got Lioness grit and determination!”.
And another chimed in: “Yes, La Voix calling out the hypocrisy of having trained dancers on the show!” La Voix is known for her witty remarks on the programme, with fans eagerly awaiting her next one-liner. She even had a go at Tess’s outfit tonight as the host wore a bold red suit.
After their performance, Tess said, “One thing’s for sure, you still know how to put on a show.” La Voix retorted: “Thank you, and you clearly used to work at Butlins.”
She added: “It catches on the red, it catches on.” One fan gushed online: “La Voix coming for Tess each week is so funny. She needs to make the final for this alone.” Another exclaimed: “La Voix might actually be the funniest thing to happen to this show, OMG.”
Tess wore a red power suit and let her blonde hair flow free. Claudia looked stylish in a glittering blazer whilst rocking her trademark fringe.
Immediately, viewers took to X to complain that they don’t get their own introduction. One wrote: “Okay…. no intros for Tess and Claudia” and another said: “So Tess and Claudia don’t get introduced anymore”
In agreement, a third viewer said: “I hate the way Tess and Claudia don’t get an intro now but the judges do!”
Strictly Come Dancing 2025 viewers think they have already worked out who will win the BBC series from the launch episode, months before the live final in December
22:23, 27 Sep 2025Updated 22:23, 27 Sep 2025
Strictly Come Dancing 2025 viewers think they have already worked out who will win(Image: BBC)
Fans of Strictly Come Dancing think they’ve already cracked who will win the 2025 series as the launch show kicked off on Saturday.
As the new line-up hit the dance floor for the first time and performed for the judges, fans claimed to have spotted the winner. Just one performance in and months before the final in December, viewers picked out one pairing in particular that they say are “going to win”.
All of the new celebs and their professional dance partners hit the studio ballroom, having been introduced by hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. As the judges had their say on their first routines and their skills so far, it was clear some pairs were doing better than others.
As the show continued, fans shared their thoughts on the “clear winner” and named Emmerdale’s Lewis Cope as their champion. Despite Amber Davies and footballer Karen Carney proving popular, it was Lewis’ week one routine that left fans convinced he’d be this year’s winner.
One fan posted on X: “Oh stop it!! Katya and Lewis, finalists init,” as another said: “Oh Lewis is gonna walk this series. Wow.” A third fan added: “Anyone else got a strange hunch the star of West End DANCE show Billy Elliot, Lewis Cope, might win in 2025?”
A further comment read: “I can deffo see Lewis winning this,” as another commented: “Lewis stole the show.” One fan said: “Do think Lewis has a good shot at this, final if not winner.”
Some viewers did believe Karen would be the winner though. One said: “Calling it now. Karen and Carlos to win.” Another agreed: “Karen Carney is literally gonna win strictly come dancing 2025 I’m so serious,” as another said: “Karen to win.”
It comes after the news Dani Dyer had to pull out of the show days before the first live episode. She shared a sweet message for her Strictly co-stars ahead of Saturday’s episode after being forced to leave the show earlier this week due to an injury.
It was announced on Tuesday that the 29-year-old would no longer be able to compete on the show after a fall during rehearsals led to her fracturing her ankle. However, despite not being able to take part, Dani has sent a message of support to her co-stars.
Taking to her Instagram stories, the mum-of-three wrote: “Good luck to all the gorgeous cast starting there Strictly journey tonight. Can’t wait to watch you all, so proud & know how hard you’ve all been working.. see you all soon.”
The official Strictly Come Dancing Instagram page revealed the sad news of Dani’s exit as they captioned it: “Unfortunately due to an injury Dani Dyer is no longer able to compete in #Strictly 2025. She’ll be sorely missed and we wish her a speedy recovery.”
The series kicked off this weekend with the highly anticipated launch show, with the celebrities meeting their professional partners for the first time
11:40, 21 Sep 2025Updated 11:40, 21 Sep 2025
Two Strictly Come Dancing stars have already secured a huge advantage(Image: BBC)
Strictly Come Dancing is back on our screens with a bang after an epic launch show which saw this year’s batch of famous faces paired up with their professional partners.
Viewers tuned in to see the 15 celebrities meet their dance partners as well as perform in a huge group dance for the very first time as the real competition begins next week.
However, before this year’s crop even shows off their dance moves or lack of, two celebrities have already secured a huge advantage. The bookies have declared which contestants are favourites to win and there’s two that are at the top of the list, according to Paddy Power.
Currently, Emmerdale star and late entrant, Lewis Cope is leading the pack with a bookies odds of 12/5 and just behind him is Love Island winner Dani Dyer, who is on 7/2 at the time of writing.
Rounding out the top five are model Ellie Goldstein with 6/1, social media sensation George Clarke at 9/1 and Gladiators star Harry Aikines-Aryeetey.
Emmerdale star Lewis Cope is currently bookies favourite to win (Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Ray Burmiston)
Love Island legend Dani Dyer could also win the show, according to bookies(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Ray Burmiston)
On the other end and currently the least favourites to win are former rugby ace Chris Robshaw and Lorraine showbiz correspondent Ross King, who have outside chances of winning at 100/1.
This makes these two contestants favourites to leave the show first, with Ross at 5/2 to exit the show first, with Chris at 3/1.
During the launch show, the first pairings unveiled were Lewis with Katya Jones, Dani with Nikita Kuzmin, Ross and Jowita Przystal, Chris and Nadiya Bychkova and Drag Race UK’s La Voix with Aljaz Skorjanec.
The next to be revealed were Vicky Pattison and Kai Widdrington, Alex Kingston and Johannes Radebe, Ellie and Vito Coppola, Balvinder Sopal and Julian Caillon plus Karen Carney and Carlos Gu.
The final matches were confirmed as Harry and Karen Hauer, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Lauren Oakley, George and Alexis Warr, Stefan Dennis and Dianne Buswell as well as Thomas Skinner and Amy Dowden.
Following the announcement, many fans sadly predicted Ross would be first out as one said: “Poor Jowita out first.” Another added: “Sorry Jowita, it’s an early exit for you this year.”
Eagle-eyed viewers also revealed they think they’ve spotted early signs of tensions between one celebrity and their dance partner. The Apprentice 2019 star Thomas was paired with Welsh beauty Amy but viewers are convinced the two will clash.
Eyebrows were raised when show hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly introduced the coupled up dancers and interviewed them about their early experiences together. Talking to Thomas and Amy in the green room, Claudia asked the former Apprentice hopeful what his dream Strictly breakfast would be.
Some Strictly viewers think they saw tension between partners Thomas Skinner and Amy Dowden(Image: BBC)
He replied: “The best breakfast. We’re going down Deano’s cafe, nice and early, before we get started, get spicy Korean noodles, with chicken breasts and poached eggs and a little bit of Tabasco sauce.
He continued: “Or, if you don’t fancy that, we can have the sunshine chicken curry with the round chips.”
But fans noticed that Amy didn’t look convinced by Thomas’s suggestion, commented that they would beed to dance some of their routines close together, and remarked: “I really hope your food doesn’t repeat on you whilst you dance.”
Thomas then suggested he would be able to freshen his breath with chewing gum before they needed to dance closely. But viewers were convinced they could smell friction between the pair.
Taking to X, one shared a screenshot of Amy’s distressed expression that she pulled when Thomas was describing his dream breakfast. They wrote: “Oh Amy you poor thing getting put with skinner.”
And another shared a similar screenshot and wrote: “Amy Dowden’s face speaking for everybody at the same time… #Strictly #TomSkinner.”
Strictly Come Dancing returned to the BBC for the 2025 season – but some viewers are convinced they have spotted tension between Apprentice star Thomas Skinner and dance partner Amy Dowden
22:33, 20 Sep 2025Updated 22:56, 20 Sep 2025
Strictly Come Dancing fans think they have spotted early tensions between a professional dancer and a former Apprentice contestant. Saturday night saw the launch of the 2025 season of the long-running dance show.
Thomas Skinner, who is best known for competing on The Apprentice in 2019, was paired with Welsh dancing expert Amy Dowden. But some viewers are convinced they saw the beginnings of a tense working relationship between the pair.
Some fans noticed Amy recoil from Thomas(Image: BBC)
Eyebrows were raised when show hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly introduced the coupled up dancers and interviewed them about their early experiences together. Talking to Thomas and Amy in the green room, Claudia asked the former Apprentice hopeful what his dream Strictly breakfast would be.
He replied: “The best breakfast. We’re going down Deano’s cafe, nice and early, before we get started, get spicy Korean noodles, with chicken breasts and poached eggs and a little bit of Tabasco sauce.
He continued: “Or, if you don’t fancy that, we can have the sunshine chicken curry with the round chips.”
But fans noticed that Amy didn’t look convinced by Thomas’s suggestion, commented that they would beed to dance some of their routines close together, and remarked: “I really hope your food doesn’t repeat on you whilst you dance.”
Thomas then suggested he would be able to freshen his breath with chewing gum before they needed to dance closely. But viewers were convinced they could smell friction between the pair.
The duo were paired up during the 2025 launch episode(Image: PA)
The Apprentice star Thomas Skinner with his wife Sinead(Image: Instagra)
Taking to X, one shared a screenshot of Amy’s distressed expression that she pulled when Thomas was describing his dream breakfast. They wrote: “Oh Amy you poor thing getting put with skinner.”
And another shared a similar screenshot and wrote: “Amy Dowden’s face speaking for everybody at the same time… #Strictly #TomSkinner.”
Others took to social media to campaign for Thomas and Amy to be the first to be voted off, with one commenting: “Justice for Amy – she deserves so much better. Get him gone week one.” But others took to X to defend Thomas after many accounts took aim at him.
One wrote in defense of the reality star: “People need to get a grip. #Strictly chose #TomSkinner to take part this year. Take your vile comments somewhere else. I for one hope him and Amy do well this year.”
Thomas has been embroiled in damaging headlines in recent days after he admitted he was unfaithful in his marriage.
He told The Sun: “‘I had a fling. It was nothing more than that. It was the one time, it was a mistake. I woke up feeling absolutely terrible about it.
“I felt so guilty. I told my wife. I let her down in that brief moment of madness where I wasn’t thinking, where I didn’t appreciate what I had. When I told my wife, I fully understood if she was to never speak to me again. No one else made me do what I’ve done. But it just shows something so brief could ruin your life.”
Strictly Come Dancing reigning champions Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell were back on the hit show for the launch of the 2025 season where a new batch of celebs are out for glitterball glory
Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell moved Strictly fans with their champions dance(Image: BBC)
Strictly Come Dancing has returned to TV for the 2025 season with sequins, glamour – and a moving performance from reigning champion Chris McCausland. The 48-year-old won the 2024 season with professional dancer Dianne Buswell.
And fans were thrilled to see them back together on the Strictly ballroom dance floor. The champion duo took to the stage to perform their Bafta award-winning waltz, You’ll Never Walk Alone – which won the public-voted Bafta TV memorable moment award earlier this year.
Fans were thrilled to see the reigning champions back(Image: BBC)
One X user wrote: “chris and dianne are back one last time!!! fave strictly champs ever!” And being a Liverpool fan, some were moved by the dance which was affiliated with the city.
A fan wrote: “You’ll Never Walk Alone will always have a special place in my heart. Liverpool fan here whyy I’m gonna be a mess!!” Another remarked: “Missing them like theyre family.”
Other fans were left in tears once the pair performed their touching dance.. One wrote on X: “Oh god-I’m gone at Chris and Dianne’s Waltz to You’ll Never Walk Alone.” And another wrote: “Chris and Di” along with a string of crying face emojis. After dancing, Dianne applauded Chris and declared: “That was beautiful” as they stepped to the side of the stage to chat with host Tess Daly.
Last December, Chris and Dianne were voted winners of the 2024 season – with fans left in awe of Chris’s dance moves. The comedian – who is blind – gave a tearful acceptance speech at the time.
He said: “This is for [Buswell] and it’s for everyone out there that got told they couldn’t do something or thought they couldn’t do something … and it just shows that with opportunity and support and determination, anything can happen.”
Saturday saw the launch of the 23rd season of Strictly – which has been on the air since 2004. The latest batch of stars hoping to win the glitterball trophy include Love Island star Dani Dyer, former Geordie Shore cast member Vicky Pattison, and past The Apprentice contestant Thomas Skinner.
Meanwhile, Dianne and her boyfriend Joe – who fell for each other after performing on Strictly back in 2018 – revealed they will be welcoming a baby together next year. A video clip shared on social media last week showed the couple creating a painting together.
Dianne and boyfriend Joe Sugg are expecting their first baby(Image: BBC/Guy Levy)
When they turned their canvas around, the image showed three stick figures – a man, woman and baby – and the simple heading: “2026”.
In an accompanying caption to the video, they wrote: “Our little baby boy … we cannot wait to meet you” along with a red heart emoji. Fans, followers, and fellow Strictly alumni were quick to comment on the news and share in the excitement.
Stacey Dooley, who won Strictly in 2018 where she fell for dance professional Kevin Clifton with whom she shares a two-year-old daughter, wrote: “YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES.”
Helen Skelton, who competed on Strictly in 2022, wrote: “Huge congratulations” alongside a string of red heart emojis.
And pop singer Conor Maynard, who is a close friend of the couple, wrote: “Let me know when he’s old enough for a new “Singing Impressions” video. Or even a sing off. The views have been drying up lately.”
Dani Dyer showed off a stunning tribute to her children with a personalised multi nameplate necklace that she had made just in time for her Strictly Come Dancing appearance
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Dani Dyer is getting ready to appear in Strictly Come Dancing 2025(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Ray Burmiston)
Ready for her first appearance on this year’s Strictly Come Dancing, contestant Dani Dyer has been showing fans some behind the scenes snaps, with one in particular causing a stir with fans. In one photo, the former Love Island winner showed off a stunning nameplate necklace she’d had made with each of her children’s names – Summer, Star and Santi (short for Santiago) – that fans couldn’t get enough of.
One comment said: “Loved the necklace” whilst plenty of others were begging for details. Although Dani didn’t share where she’d bought it, our sleuthing skills have tracked down one that’s identical, with the Multi Crystal Cursive Name Necklacehailing from Abbott Lyon.
Whilst we can’t say for certain, we’re pretty sure that this is the exact same necklace Dani had made as a tribute to her children. The Abbott Lyon necklace lets you choose up to five different names that can be added to it, and comes in either gold or silver with a cubic zirconia crystal finish.
The brand is popular with other celebs, with both Stacey Solomon and Olivia Attwood both recently launching their very own collections with Abbott Lyon, so it wouldn’t be a surprise that Dani has taken a leaf out of their book. The Multi Crystal Cursive Name Necklaceis also pretty affordable, costing between £95 for two names or up to £110 for five different names, and if you use the code TAKE10 you’ll save 10% – bringing it down to £85.50 – not to mention orders over £79 get a free bracelet worth £49.
Dani showed off the meaningful necklace on Instagram(Image: Dani Dyer/Instagram)
You also have the option of customising the chain length, and each name can carry up to eight characters. The Crystal Cursive Name Necklaceis made from 18k gold-plated stainless steel, and is water, sweat and heat resistant – perfectly for wearing whilst dancing on Strictly.
If the sparkles aren’t for you, you could also head over to PRYA, where the Miami Multiple Name Necklaceis currently on sale. Usually priced at £78 for two names, or £128 for five names, the necklace has been slashed to £50 for two names, or £68 for five – making it a huge saving.
For something a little more dainty, the Multiple Name Necklacefrom Abiza is available at Not on the High Street, and also has a 20% discount at the moment, slashing it from £53 to £43.40. You can add up to four names, which incurs an extra cost of £22.40, making it £65.80.
Dani’s necklace looks to be from Abbott Lyon(Image: Abbott Lyon)
However Abbott Lyon’s Crystal Cursive Name Necklace is your top pick if you want to copy Dani’s look, and it seems shoppers are also huge fans of the necklace. It currently only has two reviews, but they’re both five star ones with one simply writing: “Beautiful necklace.”
Whilst the second said: “I brought this for my sister she was almost in tears I am so bad at keeping secrets I didn’t tell her that I was going to order something like this she has always wanted something personalized with her children’s names it come out so outstanding it looked great the quality and care that went into it was above and beyond.”
Whilst the necklace makes a great treat for yourself, it also makes a beautiful meaningful gift – especially as we start to head towards Christmas. And don’t forget to take advantage of the discount code while it’s still available – you can keep the free bracelet for yourself, or consider it one Christmas gift to cross off your list!
BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing returns tomorrow night – and BBC One has shared a sneak peek at the 2025 celebrity line-up as they make their dancefloor debuts
But Judge Anton insisted it was not a problem as viewers always grow to love the line ups of long running BBC series
20:56, 16 Sep 2025Updated 20:56, 16 Sep 2025
Anton with Strictly hosts Tess and Claudia that he knows very well – unlike some of the celebs this year(Image: Joe Maher/Getty Images for the NTA’s)
TV judge Anton Du Beke has admitted that he does not recognise many of the stars picked for Strictly Come Dancing these days. Echoing public criticism that the BBC dance show’s line-up can sometimes lack a little lustre or the big names of previous years, he admitted the first time he would see some of them could be on the ballroom.
Anton said: “When I first started, we sort of knew them, but now as you get older… there are a number of people on the show that I am not familiar with.” Speaking of last year’s model contestant Tasha Ghouri, he added: “I mean last year, Tasha? I did not know Tasha. No, I don’t know a number of people on the show.”
But he has got used to being a bit baffled, as more online personalities are introduced onto the show, explaining: “You don’t know who they are, but that is normal.”
Anton admits he had no idea who Tasha Ghouri was (Image: PA)
He said of the 25-year-old YouTuber taking to the dancefloor for 2025: “There is that lovely boy George Clarke doing it this year. I thought it was the buildings fella, George Clarke the architect.”
And although he has now watched performances by the contestants who will be strutting their stuff on telly from this Saturday, he hasn’t seen enough to pick a winner.
Anton, 59, recalled how he was asked for an early opinion at the recording of the launch show and said: “They made it down the stairs unaided. I don’t know what you want me to say. Ask me next week when they have danced a bit.”
This year’s 15 celebrities include four reality TV stars: Vicky Pattison, 37, Thomas Skinner, 34, Dani Dyer, 29, and La Voix, 45. There are four sports stars too: sprinter Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, 37, footballers Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, 53, and Karen Carney, 38, and rugby union’s Chris Robshaw, 39.
A new crowd of celebrity faces will take to the dancefloor in a matter of weeks(Image: PA)
It is actors who make up the biggest group, with five: Stefan Dennis, 66, Alex Kingston, 62, Balvinder Sopal, 46, Ellie Goldstein, 23, and Lewis Cope, 30. There is also presenter Ross King, 63, and YouTuber George.
Speaking at an event to launch his new novel, Monte Carlo by Moonlight, Anton said he will soon be reading the celebrities’ body language. He said of judging: “As I sit ther,e I know exactly what has been going on. I can see by this routine what sort of a week you have had and I laugh.
“If they start at the top of the stairs and walk down, they have had a very difficult week, like they are wasting as much time as they can until they get on the floor and have to take hold. The waltz is always lovely to judge. You can always see how good and bad their week has been by how long they stay ‘in hold’.”
After years of grumbles that contestants with dance experience – such as Lewis Cope – have a head start, Anton conceded it is tru,e but that the advantage is only slight. “It will help them a bit. I have not seen many of those who have actually won.”
And he had some tips for the professionals, too. “Learn that it is not about you. I was always aware of that. It is not my name they say first. It is the celebrity’s name.” Anton, who has eight-year-old twins with wife Hannah, also urged BBC bosses to tweak the rules on voting.
This year voting via premium phone lines has been axed and instead viewers have a brief opportunity on Saturday nights to vote online. But Anton thinks voting should go on all week, as many Strictly Come Dancing fans catch up on iPlayer.
He said: “I remember when we started the show, you could vote all week. Now you have a little window, and that is a shame because some people can’t watch it on a Saturday night.
“They might be working or may go out. I would like people to be able to vote during the week as everyone is invested even if they watch it on catch-up, so give them the opportunity to vote.”
And as for the show’s enduring popularity as it enters its 23rd series, he said: “The show works because we re-cast it every year and now we have a couple of new pros. There is an extraordinary amount of enthusiasm for it. The room is always enthused and I think that transfers to people watching it.
“You can like it for different reasons. You can like it for the frocks, the group dances, the couples or want to see how people are getting on. You can like the judges – or not like the judges!”
* The launch show of the new series of Strictly Come Dancing is on at 6.40pm on Saturday on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer.
Love Island star Dani Dyer has confessed that some Strictly Come Dancing may be expecting to see her EastEnders star father taking part in the 2025 season rather than her
22:52, 14 Sep 2025Updated 22:52, 14 Sep 2025
Dani Dyer has admitted that some Strictly fans might be disappointed to see her on the show(Image: PA)
Dani Dyer has admitted fans may have been duped into thinking her father, Danny Dyer, is taking part in the upcoming new season of Strictly Come Dancing.
The 29-year-old reality star is most famous for being the daughter of EastEnders star Danny, 48, and his financial advisor wife Joanne Mas, 48, and for being a contestant on the 2018 season of Love Island. This winter, fans will see the mum-of-three take to the Strictly dance floor as one of the 2025 contestants.
However, the Love Island star – who married West Ham United footballer Jarrod Bowen, 28, in May – has admitted that some TV fans may be tuning in expecting to see her dad, rather than her, taking on the ambitious dance routines. She explained that this is down to the fact her name and her father’s are pronounced the same.
Her actor father, Danny Dyer, has been wowing fans in hit TV show – including Sky’s comedy series Mr Bigstuff(Image: Sky Max)
She told the Daily Mail: “A lot of people when they said Dani Dyer’s doing it, because it was on the radio they probably thought it was the other Danny Dyer.”
Speaking of her dad, she revealed there is one reality show she’d like to see him take part in – but she revealed he would refuse to do it, if asked. She said: “I would like to see him in the I’m A Celeb jungle but he says he never would go in the jungle.”
And she explained further: “He was like: ‘Dan, I’d be bored.’ He’d be snoring everyone to death.” Danny is known to many for playing Mick Carter in EastEnders – a role he held down from 2013–2022.
Since exiting the BBC soap, Danny has gone on to enjoy critical and commercial success playing Freddie Jones in the raunchy Disney+ series Rivals and for playing Lee in the hit Sky comedy series Mr. Bigstuff.
The 2025 season of Strictly Come Dancing has come under fire from some fans for having a lacklusture line-up stuffed full of reality star contestants. Alongside Love Island’s Dani is ex-Apprentice contestant Tom Skinner, former Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison, and social media star George Clarke.
The 2025 Strictly Come Dancing line-up has been deemed underwhelming by some fans(Image: PA)
The Daily Mail has suggested that show bosses failed to attach bigger names to the 2025 season after Strictly was hit by string of scandals – including accusations professional dancers had abused their celebrity co-stars.
A source claimed: “Yes, the Beeb had to expand their roster as they were struggling to get talent to sign up for a variety of mitigating circumstances.”
But a Strictly spokesperson hit back at the report, telling the Mirror: “This is pure conjecture from the Daily Mail. There was absolutely no difference to the casting process this year, both in timescale and the great mix of names wanting to take part.”
The 2025 season is due to begin on Saturday night on BBC One at 6:40pm. The launch show will see the new contestants being matched with their celebrity partners.
While reigning champions Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell – who won the series in 2024 – will return to take to the floor again, and fans will hear music by Jessie J.
Strictly Come Dancing have released the first look images of the 2025 cast as the 15 celebrities prepare to take to the dance floor for the first live show in just two weeks time
Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly will return to hosting duties (Image: PA)
It’s almost time for the 2025 cast of Strictly Come Dancing to take to the dancefloor, as the BBC has released a first look picture of the cast in their glitzy ballroom outfits.
The cast certainly look the part – but will they be able to dance the part? Viewers will find out when the launch show airs next Saturday, with the live shows kicking off the week after.
The 15 new contestants, who will be joined alongside hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly, dressed to the nines for their first looks, with pink being the colour of choice for most…
Strictly Come Dancing have released the first cast picture of 2025(Image: PA)
In the glitzy image, Love Island winner Dani Dyer wore a tassled pink number with a plunging V-neck to her waist, while ER actress Alex Kingston and model and actress Ellie Goldstein also joined in with the pink tassled theme.
They weren’t the only ones, as former England footballer Karen Carney wore a hot pink dress, with Olympian and Gladiator Harry Aikines-Aryeete opted for bright pink trousers.
Drag Race finalist La Voix stood out in a bright red number, with an eye-catching thigh slit. .
Vicky Pattinson and Balvinder Sopal stunned in bright colours, with the former Geordie Shore star wearing bright yellow, while the EastEnders star opted for a a turquoise dress.
Judges Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel Horwood and Anton Du Beke will return to the panel
Former footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope matched in electric blue, with Cope showing off his arms with a sheer sleeveless top and tailored trousers.
Stefan Dennis, broadcaster Ross King and former England rugby captain Chris Robshaw stood out in patterned suits, whereas Thomas Skinner wore a pale blue suit.
The first look picture comes after a huge win for Strictly at the NTAs, picking up the National Television Award for Talent Show after the last scandal-filled 18 months.
Last year’s celebrity cast took to the stage to accept the award, with Pete Wicks and JB Gill giving a speech. The current cast were unfortunately able to attend the award ceremony as they were off filming the launch show which will air next Saturday.
“It gives me a little bit of PTSD that theme tune,” Pete said while accepting the award. “But look, Strictly is one of the best things that I have done and as much as us guys are the ones dancing, it’s all about the crew and the people who work behind it.”
JB Gill then went onto thank the judges as well as Chris McCausland and Diane Buswell who “made history” as last year’s winners. “Last but not least, thank you to all the viewers, all the people who voted for this incredible award. We absolutely love you.”
Thomas Skinner took issue with a reporter recording an interview, a common practice, during the big Strictly Come Dancing press day ahead of the 2025 series launch show
23:55, 09 Sep 2025Updated 01:04, 10 Sep 2025
Thomas Skinner’s Strictly Come Dancing interview tantrum in full as audio released(Image: X/@iamtomskinner)
The audio from Thomas Skinner’s interview at Elstree Studios was released after it was revealed that he took issue with a reporter recording the chat ahead of his Strictly Come Dancing stint. The Apprentice star took part in chats with reporters to discuss the series but, in a shock moment, he grabbed a reporter’s phone as they asked him to stop.
The divisive figure took issue with a reporter recording an interview, a common practice, during the big Strictly Come Dancing press day. He had arrived at the table alongside fellow contestant, former footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who was left having to do interviews on his own.
In the recording shared online, a reporter asked: “What made you say yes to this amazing opportunity?”
Thomas stormed out of a recent Strictly interview(Image: Getty Images)
He was heard saying: “What’s that? Are you taping it?” in the audio shared with The Sun. The reporter answered: “We have to record it,” before she was heard asking: “What are you doing?”
A voice was heard going: “Just answer the question, we’ve got three minutes,” before the reporter said: “No, no, no, don’t.”
Thomas went: “That’s about me,” before the reporter answered: “No, it’s not.” When one person asked ‘what made them run the question’, the reporter said they were ‘just recording it’.
An insider said his reaction ‘came out of nowhere’(Image: Instagram/iamtomskinner)
After a few moments of inaudible audio, someone else said: “Oh my God, he’s gone.”
Speaking about the moment that unfolded, an insider previously told the Mirror: “He walked to the table with his head down, he sat down, grabbed one of the reporters phones, who told him to stop. It was a shock. His reaction came out of nowhere.”
Another source told us: “It was totally out of the blue. He was absolutely fine during the first interview. In good spirits and delighted and surprised to be there. Like a competition winner.”
His actions are said to have left organisers furious and BBC bosses in talks over whether he should remain on the show.
Thomas has been a controversial signing for this year’s series of the BBC series. The dad-of-three has drawn strong criticism for Twitter (X) posts saying it is “not far-right” to be “flying your flag and loving your country”, and complaining “it ain’t safe out there any more” in London, saying the city is “hostile” and “tense”.
Meanwhile, fans have voiced their thoughts on the situation. Taking to X, one said: “This is what the BBC deserve because I for one am not surprised at all. Now drop the axe IMMEDIATELY. #Strictly.”
“Get rid of him man child #strictly,” another fumed. “Well I can’t say I’m surprised should never had been part of the show to begin with hope he’s axed,” someone else complained.
TORONTO — The smile is beatific, blissed out, even at an ungodly hour on our Zoom call from France. A week later, when I finally meet 43-year old filmmaker Oliver Laxe in person at a private Toronto celebration for his new movie “Sirât,” he radiates serenity. He’s the happiest (and maybe the tallest) person in the room.
“One of the first ideas that I had for this film was a sentence from Nietzsche,” he says. “I won’t believe in a God who doesn’t dance.”
Laxe goes to raves — “free parties,” he clarifies, indicating the ones you need to hear about via word of mouth. He’s thought deeply about what they mean and what they do to him. “We still have a memory in our bodies of these ceremonies that we were doing for thousands of years, when we were making a kind of catharsis with our bodies.”
It’s almost the opposite of what you expect to hear on the fall festival circuit, when directors with big ideas make their cases for the significance of the art form. But the body, the return to something purely sensorial, is Laxe’s big idea.
Steadily, “Sirât” has become, since its debut at Cannes in May, a growing favorite: not merely a critic’s darling but an obsession among those who’ve seen it. (The film will have an awards-qualifying run in Los Angeles beginning Nov. 14.) A dance party in the desert set at some vaguely hinted-at moment of apocalypse, the movie is something you feel, not solve. Its pounding EDM beats rattle pleasurably in your chest (provided the theater’s speakers are up to snuff). And the explosions on the horizon shake your heartbeat.
“I really trust in the capacity of images to penetrate into the metabolism of the spectator,” Laxe says. “I’m like a masseuse. When you watch my films, sometimes you’ll want to kill me or you’ll feel the pain in your body, like: Wow, what a treat. But after, you can feel the result.”
An image from the movie “Sirât,” directed by Oliver Laxe.
(Festival de Cannes)
Laxe can speak about his influences: cosmic epics by the Russian master Andrei Tarkovsky or existential road movies like “Zabriskie Point” and “Two-Lane Blacktop.” But he is not a product of a typical grad-school trajectory. Rather, it’s his escape from that path after growing up in northern Spanish Galicia and studying in Barcelona (he tried London for a while) that’s fascinating.
“I was not good,” he recalls. “I didn’t find I had a place in the industry or in Europe. I was not interested. I had bought a camera, a 16-millimeter Bolex, and I knew I was accepting that my role was to be a kind of sniper that was working in the trenches but making really small films.”
At age 24, Laxe moved to Tangier, Morocco, where he would live for 12 years at a monastic remove from the glamour of the movies, collaborating with local children on his films. The experience would grow into his first feature, 2010’s “You Are All Captains,” which eventually took him all the way to the prize-winning podium at Cannes, as did his second and third films, all of which came before “Sirât,” his fourth.
“Slowly, the things we were making were opening doors,” he says. “In a way, life was deciding, telling me: This is your path.”
Path is what “Sirât” means in Arabic, often with a religious connotation, and his new movie takes a unique journey, traversing from the loose-limbed dancing of its early scenes to a train’s tracks stretching fixedly to the end of the line. There’s also a quest that gets us into the film: a father and son searching among the ravers for a missing daughter, potentially a nod to “The Searchers” or Paul Schrader’s “Hardcore,” but not a plot point that Laxe feels especially interested in expounding on.
“Obviously I have a spiritual path and this path is about celebrating crisis,” he says. “My path was through crisis. It’s the only time when you connect with your essence. I just want to grow. So that’s why I jump into the abyss.”
“My path was through crisis,” says director Oliver Laxe of his steady rise. “It’s the only time when you connect with your essence. I just want to grow.”
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Laxe tells me he didn’t spend years perfecting a script or sharpening dialogue. Rather, he took the images that stuck with him — trucks speeding into the dusty desert, fueled by the rumble of their own speaker systems — and brought them to the free parties, where his cast coalesced on the dance floor.
“We were telling them that we were making ‘Mad Max Zero,’ ” he recalls, but also something “more metaphysical, more spiritual. A few of them, I already knew. There are videos of us explaining the film in the middle of the dance floor with all the people dancing around. I mean it was quite crazy. It’s something I would like to show to film schools.”
Shot on grungy Super 16, the production drove deep into craggy, sandblasted wastelands, both in Morocco and mountainous Spain, where the crew would make hairpin turns along winding cliff roads that would give even fans of William Friedkin’s legendary 1977 misadventure “Sorcerer” anxiety.
“It was my least dangerous film,” Laxe counters, reminding me of his “Fire Will Come,” the 2019 arson thriller for which he cast actual firefighters. “We were making the film in the middle of the flames, so I don’t know. I’m a junkie of images and I need this drug.”
There is a Herzogian streak to the bearded Laxe, a prophet-in-the-wilderness boldness that inspires his collaborators, notably longtime writing partner Santiago Fillol and the techno composer Kangding Ray, to make the leap of faith with him. But there also seems to come a point when talking about “Sirât” feels insufficient, as opposed to simply submitting to its pounding soundscapes, found-family camaraderie and (fair warning) churning moments of sudden loss that have shaken even the most hardy of audiences.
“The film evokes this community of wounded people,” he says. “I’m not a sadistic guy that wants to make a spectator suffer. I have a lot of hope. I trust in human beings, even with their contradictions and weaknesses.”
For those who wish to find a political reading in the movie, it’s there for them, a parable about migration and fascism but also the euphoria of a headlong rush into the unknown. “Sirât” is giving odd comfort in a cultural moment of uncertainty, a rare outcome for a low-budget art film.
Its visionary maker knows exactly where he is going next.
“I got the message in Cannes,” Laxe says. “People want to feel the freedom of the filmmaker or the auteur. What they appreciate is that we were jumping from a fifth floor to make this film. So for the next one —”
Our connection cuts out and it’s almost too perfect: a Laxian cliffhanger moment in which ideas are yanked back by a rush of feeling. After several hours of me hoping this was intentional on his part, the director does indeed get back to me, apologetically. But until then, he is well served by the mystery.
