The Glitterball is ready to be won, and Dave Arch’s band is poised to play. That’s right; the countdown has begun for the 21st series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Now that the 2023 line-up has finally been released, there’s not long to wait until celebrities from all corners of showbiz will try to salsa, jive, and foxtrot their way to victory. So, who will be gracing our screens this autumn? And who will make up the professional line-up? Check out our Strictly Come Dancing guide for all the info you need to watch this year’s show.
When can I watch Strictly Come Dancing 2023?
There’s not long to wait until we can welcome the ballroom into our homes. The launch show is set to return to BBC One on Saturday 16th September.
The first live show will be on Saturday 23rd September. From then on, we’ll be treated to a spectacle every Saturday for an incredible 13 weeks, with the finale during the festive season. As usual, the results show takes place on Sunday evenings on BBC One.
The nation’s favourite dance show will once again be presented by the iconic duo Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.
There is no change to the judges panel this time around. Dame Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse all return!
Who are the celebrities on Strictly 2023?
Last season featured fabulous names like Helen Skelton and Will Mellor, so expectations were high for this year. But Strictly producers have pulled out all the stops to craft a fantastic 2023 line-up, one fit for the 21st season!
As always, there was plenty of excitement and speculation surrounding this year’s line-up. But speculate no more; here are all 15 confirmed stars who are set to enter the glamorous world of dancing.
| Strictly Star | Best known for | Week eliminated |
| Adam Thomas | Waterloo Road & former Emmerdale actor | Eliminated sixth (5th November) |
| Amanda Abbington | Stage and screen actress | Quit during week six (23rd October) |
| Angela Rippon | Television presenter, journalist & newsreader | Eliminated eighth (19th November) |
| Angela Scanlon | Television presenter | Eliminated ninth (26th November) |
| Annabel Croft | Former professional tennis player & television presenter | |
| Bobby Brazier | Eastenders actor & model | |
| Eddie Kadi | Comedian & radio presenter | Eliminated fourth (22nd October) |
| Ellie Leach | Former Coronation Street actress | |
| Jody Cundy | Paralympic cyclist & swimmer | Eliminated third (15th October) |
| Krishnan Guru-Murthy | Channel 4 News presenter & journalist | Eliminated seventh (12th November) |
| Layton Williams | Bad Education actor & West End performer | |
| Les Dennis | Comedian, actor & television presenter | Eliminated first (1st October 2023) |
| Nigel Harman | Former Eastenders actor, stage and screen actor | |
| Nikita Kanda | BBC Asian Network presenter | Eliminated second (8th October) |
| Zara McDermott | Television presenter, documentary maker & media personality | Eliminated fifth (29th October) |
Who are the Strictly 2023 professionals?
The celebrities might, quite literally, be the stars of the show, but the professionals have become fan favourites too. Although some may be disappointed that Strictly fan favourite Amy Dowden won’t be participating this year, she recently revealed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year.
Jowita Przystal will want to retain the Glitterball Trophy, but there’s stiff competition with all the dancers including Gorka Marquez and Dianne Buswell, who will all grace the epic ballroom again this year.
Here’s the full line-up of the Strictly Come Dancing 2023 pro dancers:
- Dianne Buswell
- Nadiya Bychkova
- Graziano Di Prima
- Karen Hauer
- Katya Jones
- Neil Jones
- Nikita Kuzmin
- Gorka Marquez
- Luba Mushtuk
- Giovanni Pernice
- Jowita Przystal
- Johannes Radebe
- Kai Widdrington
- Nancy Xu
- Carlos Gu
- Lauren Oakley
- Michelle Tsiakkas
- Vita Coppola
Who won Strictly Come Dancing 2022?
After a spectacular evening, Hamza Yassin lifted the Glitterball Trophy, alongside his partner Jowita Przystal. He cemented his champion-in-waiting status early on with a phenomenal salsa and showing great versatility: he was just at home in a smooth ballroom, hip-swivelling Latin or, for his reprised Couple’s Choice number, Afrobeat, and his huge lifts were simply unparalleled.
A clearly emotional, but still articulate, Yassin paid tribute to his partner Pryzstal, who managed the impressive feat of winning Strictly with her first ever partner. “You are an angel disguised as a human being,” he said.
Dr Jill’s weekly Strictly Come Dancing Comment
We’ll be checking in each week with Dr Jill Rose Jacobs, who completed her PhD in Music focusing on Dance and Sports Science at Queen’s University, Belfast. Dr Jill was previously a professor of dance at New York University. We’ll be asking Dr Jill about her favourite Strictly performances of the week.
“Strictly what happened?”
“Is Strictly’s costumer on strike? Choreographer’s strike too? Did Ellie already win the competition (according to the judging panel)? Where did Layton’s routine go?”
“Unfortunately for Layton this week, the costume ruined the balance of his lines and hid his ‘to die for’ technique underneath heavy fabric. The music and choreography, in combination with dress, hindered Layton’s performance as he lost artistic control.”
“Bobby’s Couple’s Choice contemporary dance was the best performance of the evening. In daywear, Bobby danced a story about his mother as translated from his heart to ours. Expertly choreographed to This Women’s Work by Maxwell, the movement was stunningly beautiful. Additionally, Bobby demonstrated an ability for ‘narrative’ in his dancing.”
“Nigel’s Rumba was also strong, technically a stand-out from the evening’s performances. Nigel’s professional partner, Katya, was costumed in a parachute-like fabric which could have affected his ability to partner her but didn’t.”
“The judging panel was complimentary about Nigel’s dancing, though increasingly conservative in phrase of his accomplishments in the competition.”
“I didn’t agree with the judging panel when it came to Annabel’s performance, as I found her Paso Doble was stiff. Though Craig agreed, the routine scored 8, 9, 9, and a 10 from Anton.”
“Ellie’s Argentine Tango received excellent feedback, scoring 9, 10, 10, 9, although I thought her leg action was poor and she hasn’t shown a lot of improvement in the past couple of weeks.”
“Ellie’s routine featured brilliant choreography set to Destiny Child’s Bills, Bills, Bills. Personally, I miss equating Ellie’s near perfect scores to her dancing in this routine.”
“The choreography for Angela’s Cha Cha set to I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor, casted enough of a negative impression to land her in the dance-off. In combination with unflattering costumes, Angela didn’t survive elimination from the competition.”
Dr Jill Jacobs
Strictly has your Saturday nights sorted, but what about the rest of the week? Heart Bingo has lots of fun Slots, Slingo, Bingo and Casino games to keep you entertained. Fans of Strictly Come Dancing might want to check out our Strictly Come Spinning or Fluffy Favourites games. 18+ | Opt in | Please gamble responsibly | begambleaware.org
