Strictly Come Dancing is set to continue welcoming Hollywood guest stars into the ballroom as the beloved BBC dance show has confirmed another famous face will soon be making an appearance. Following on from Cynthia Erivo’s guest mentor role in Movies Week, the glittering dance competition will be graced by another star of stage and screen in Icons Week.
Fans won’t want to miss the show as Golden Globe-winning actor Rachel Zegler is set to arrive in the iconic Strictly ballroom. The star rose to fame following her performance as María in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story and she recently played the titular Disney princess in the live-action remake of Snow White.
Zegler is fresh off the back of a run of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical Evita in London’s West End and will be giving Strictly fans a special glimpse of the production in Icons Week.
However, Zegler won’t be taking on the mentor role as Erivo did in Movies Week. She will instead be making an appearance as a guest performer.
Making her Strictly debut during the Icons Week results show, set to air on Sunday 26 October, Zegler will be singing while being accompanied by some of the show's professional dancers.
The BBC has confirmed to Digital Spy the musical theatre star will be performing a rendition of 'Don’t Cry for Me Argentina' from Evita.
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Zegler recently received rave reviews for her role as Argentine political leader Eva Perón in the hit musical, which was staged at the London Palladium.
Evita follows the story of Perón, the First Lady of Argentina, between 1946 and 1952 including her rise to power and subsequent controversies.
The musical was first performed on the West End in 1978, and was later adapted into a feature film in 1996 with Madonna, Jonathan Pryce and Antonio Banderas taking on the lead roles.
However, the recent West End production gained particular attention for its unusual choice to perform a section of the musical outside.
The memorable moment saw Zegler sing 'Don’t Cry for Me Argentina' on the theatre's exterior balcony, with the performance being broadcast to the audience inside via a screen.
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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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
