Strictly Come Dancing has waltzed back onto screens with a star-studded launch show for season 21.
Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman returned as hosts on Saturday (September 16) night, as they welcomed 15 new celebrities to the dancefloor.
The new cast of famous faces were paired with their professional partners, before taking part in an extravagant group number.
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Making Strictly history this year as the first Love Island star to compete on the show is Zara McDermott and she's been paired up with pro dancer Graziano Di Prima.
Sharing some kind words of encouragement with his new dance partner, Graziano said: "The sky is the limit! Be positive all the way."
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He later went on to reveal his first competitive dance with the former Love Islander will be the Cha Cha Cha.
Alongside Zara, there's a broad range of celebrities taking part in the BBC dance competition this year, with stars from EastEnders, Bad Education, Coronation Street, The One Show, Sherlock, and more stepping onto the dancefloor.
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Here's the full list of this year's pairings:
•Adam Thomas and Luba Mushtuk
•Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice
•Angela Scanlon and Carlos Gu
•Angela Rippon and Kai Widdrington
•Annabel Croft and Johannes Radebe
•Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell
•Eddie Kadi and Karen Hauer
•Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola
•Jody Cundy and Jowita Przystał
•Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Lauren Oakley
•Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin
•Les Dennis and Nancy Xu
•Nigel Harman and Katya Jones
•Nikita Kanda and Gorka Márquez
•Zara McDermott and Graziano Di Prima
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This does of course mean that some fan favourites, including Nadiya Bychkova and Neil Jones, won't compete with a celebrity dance partner this year.
However, fans can delight in the knowledge that they'll still be featured in the show, as they're set to take part in the varying group dances throughout the series.
Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday, September 23 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 6.15pm.
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News Editor, Digital Spy
Emma is an experienced entertainment news journalist with NCTJ accreditation and a First-Class Honours Degree in Journalism. Having started her career as a broadcast journalist, Emma’s voice has been heard on varying radio stations across the UK including Absolute, Magic, BBC Three Counties Radio, LBC London News and more.
Later specialising in multimedia entertainment news, Emma has brushed shoulders with numerous famous faces and interviewed the likes of Edward Norton, Margot Robbie, Sir Michael Palin, Rick Astley, and too many soap stars to count. Having produced a range of engaging news content over the years for brands such as 7Digital’s Entertainment News, Yahoo, and Express Online, Emma eventually joined Digital Spy in 2022 as Deputy News Editor, becoming Acting News Editor in 2023 and then News Editor in 2024.
While she’s gained lots of praise during celebrity interviews throughout her career, the most memorable compliment Emma’s ever received was when a Game of Thrones star remarked "Your teeth are stunning!". LinkedIn
