TWO Essex celebrities are preparing to get their groove on as they have found out their partners for the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing.
The 20th series of the hit BBC One show begins tomorrow, however tonight’s launch show saw the 15 celebrity contestants discover which of the professional partners they will be training and performing with during their time on the show.
Following the death of the Queen, the launch date was postponed a week until after the monarch’s state funeral on September 19.
Claudia Winkleman welcomed back the audience to the show saying: “It is so lovely to be back and for the first time in two years we have a full studio audience.”
This year’s crop of 15 famous faces taking to the dance floor includes Fleur East, TV presenter Helen Skelton, EastEnders actor James Bye and former England footballer Tony Adams.
Also in the line-up is Paralympic swimming gold medallist Ellie Simmonds, Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps actor Will Mellor, Loose Women star Kaye Adams and Coronation Street actress Kym Marsh.
They are joined by Bros singer Matt Goss, Kiss radio host Tyler West, comedian and actress Jayde Adams, Wildlife cameraman and presenter Hamza Yassin and BBC Radio 2’s Richie Anderson.
The Two Essex girls also taking part are Ted Lasso actress Ellie Taylor and Britain’s Got Talent finalist Molly Rainford.
Last night’s introduction show revealed the pairs for this year’s series.
Ellie was partnered with well-loved 35-year-old Johannes Radebe, who has made a big impact since joining in 2018.
Radebe performed the show’s first same-sex routine with Graziano Di Prima in 2019 before making it to the final of the competition with Great British Bake Off star John Whaite in the show’s first all-male couple last year, only losing out to Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice.
Ellie admitted that her heart was set on having Johannes as her partner and so she was thrilled when it was confirmed she would dance with him.
Molly was partnered with 28-year-old dancer Carlos Gu, who is taking on his first series of the show.
Speaking ahead of their partnership, she predicted their time together would be “electric”.
The show opened with a ballroom performance from the professional dancers and the four new dancers – Lauren Oakley, Michelle Tsiakkas, Vito Coppola and Carlos Gu – were introduced with a cinematic group number.
EGOT winner John Legend also performed his new single All She Wanna Do during the launch show.
The first Strictly Come Dancing live show will air tonight, September 24, on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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