The BBC dance competition returned on Saturday for its 24th series, the first in its history without longtime host Tess Daly after her departure alongside co-host Claudia Winkleman last year.
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competition → return → Winkleman
Before the first live episode, here’s everything you need to know about the new couples, hosts, judges and more.
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you → ’ → couples
Who are the newly paired Strictly couples?
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couples → pair → ?
Bethany Antonia is best known for her starring role as dragon-rider Lady Baela Targaryen in HBO’s House of the Dragon, which is set 200 years before the events of Game Of Thrones.
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which → star → Thrones
She started her acting career at 14 years old, appearing in a short film adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, before going on to feature in shows such as Doctors, Stah Lets Flats and Doctor Who.
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Stah → start → Flats
She has been paired with Nancy Xu, who has been a professional dancer on the show since 2019.
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who → pair → 2019
Xu was trained at China's elite Guangdong Dance School, specialising in Latin dance.
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Xu → train → dance
The pair are this year’s same-sex couple, with fans delighted with the pairing.
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fans → delight → pairing
One fan wrote: “Bethany and Nancy same sex partnership we wonnn.”
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we → write → ?
Another commented: “I need Bethany and Nancy to be good omg.”
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Bethany → comment → ?
Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby
Cach Mercer is the former winner of Love Island, where he won the 2025 show alongside Toni Laites, with the couple splitting the £50,000 prize pot.
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couple → win → pot
They have since broken up.
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They → break → ?
He has also made a name for himself on social media, where he posts videos of himself dancing to TikTok.
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himself → make → TikTok
He has been paired with newcomer Maddie Ingoldsby, a UK national ballroom champion.
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He → pair → Ingoldsby
She began her career playing Annie in the West End, and has since gone on to become an eight-time Amateur 10-Dance World Champion.
Chris Appleton and Amy Dowden
Chris Appleton is a celebrity hair stylist who is best known for working with stars including Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez.
His other celebrity clients include Sofía Vergara, Ariana Grande and Katy Perry.
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clients → begin → Vergara
Appleton has previously been named a “Hair Star” by Vogue UK and his work has been showcased on covers and in major features for publications including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Marie Claire, Grazia, L’Officiel Paris, and more.
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work → name → Vogue
He is paired with Amy Dowden, veteran Strictly legend who last year left the competition first with Thomas Skinner.
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who → pair → Skinner
Dowden has been open with her breast cancer diagnosis and has undergone a double masectomy.
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Dowden → undergo → masectomy
She now says she feels the “fittest, healthiest and strongest” she has ever been.
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she → say → ?
Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin
Dani Dyer is back again after dropping out of the competition last year due to injury.
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Dyer → drop → injury
The daughter of actor Danny Dyer, the 30-year-old has made a name for herself on reality TV, including the 2018 series of Love Island, which she won.
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she → make → which
She has been paired again with Nikita Kuzmin, her partner in the 2025 series.
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She → pair → series
Kuzmin is a Ukranian dancer, who joined Strictly in 2021.
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who → join → 2021
The pair have both expressed their happiness with being reunited.
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pair → express → happiness
Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington
Australian pop sensation Delta Goodrem, who recently represented her country in Eurovisioin, is set to hit the dance floor.
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who → represent → floor
She rose to fame in Neighbours as shy teenager Nina Tucker from 2002 to 2003, and has returned to the Australian soap for several guest appearances, including the finale in 2022.
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She → rise → 2022
Goodrem has also featured as a coach on The Voice Australia, and has achieved massive chart success in the country, landing five Australian number one albums.
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Goodrem → feature → albums
She is paired with Kai Widdrington, an English dancer and choreographer who joined the show back in 2021.
Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley
TV presenter and dog trainer Graeme Hall is famed for hosting hit Channel 5 programme Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly and regularly showcases his expert knowledge on ITV’s This Morning and BBC Radio.
Nicknamed “the Dog Father”, he is also an author who has penned several popular books focusing on dog training, canine behaviour and understanding pets.
Hall is paired with Lauren Oakley, who joined the series in 2022 as a professional dancer.
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who → pair → dancer
The actress, 41, who is the daughter of actor Ray Winstone, is known for appearing in films including Made In Dagenham, Bullet Boy and Tomb Raider.
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who → know → Dagenham
The star has also appeared in several shows including Dead Set, Poirot and the BBC TV movie Babs, where she played the late Dame Barbara Windsor.
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she → appear → Windsor
She has also branched into theatre work, starring in the West End production of 2:22 A Ghost Story.
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She → branch → 2:22
Winstone has been paired with Carlos Gu, who won last year during his partnership with former Lioness Karen Carney.
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who → pair → Carney
Social media star John Nellis is one of the UK and Ireland’s biggest football content creators, with a combined audience of more than 15 million followers on YouTube.
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Nellis → combine → YouTube
His videos have featured some of the biggest names in world sport, including Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Cristiano Ronaldo and, more recently, Norwegian footballer Erling Haaland – which amassed more than 13 million views on YouTube.
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which → feature → YouTube
He has been paired with Strictly legend Katya Jones, a Russian dancer who is celebrating her 10th year on the show.
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who → pair → show
Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola
Lacey Turner was the first contestant to be confirmed for the new Strictly Come Dancing series.
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Turner → confirm → series
The EastEnders star - who is currently on an extended break from playing the iconic character Stacey Slater - first rose to fame in 2004.
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who → play → 2004
After departing several times, she returned to the cobbles once more in 2025.
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she → depart → 2025
She has won over fourty awards, the most of any soap actor in the UK for her portrayal of the character.
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She → win → character
Turner has also featured in Being Human, Call the Midwife and Our Girl.
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Turner → feature → Midwife
…and 51 more, not listed.
The Aporia
