Strictly Come Dancing confirms 2023 couples on launch show
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 to his new dance partner, Graziano said: "The sky is the limit! Be positive all the way."
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.
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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 24 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 6.45pm.
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