BBC Strictly Come Dancing pairing 'ones to watch' with potential for 'big things'
The 'ones to watch' on this year's Strictly Come Dancing has been revealed as the couples prepare to dance for the first time. There are 15 new celebrities ready to start their journey in the BBC One dance contest.
Fans were left thrilled as the class of 2024 was officially welcomed into the iconic ballroom last Saturday night (September 14) by hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman during the colourful and energetic pre-recorded launch show.
It was also the time that the pairings for this year's run of the competition were revealed. For her much-anticipated return to the ballroom professional dancer Amy Dowden was put with JLS star JB Gill, while other 2024 contestants were also paired.
Toyah Willcox was partnered with Neil Jones, as Love Island star Tasha Ghouri and Aljaz Skorjanec were put together, along with Miranda actress Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola and Morning Live star Dr Punam Krishan and Gorka Marquez.
Also partnered were Olympian Montell Douglas with Johannes Radebe; reality star Pete Wicks with Jowita Przystal; presenter and former hockey player Sam Quek with Nikita Kuzmin, and comedian Chris McCausland with Dianne Buswell.
Other pairings included: Wynne Evans and Katya Jones; singer and actor Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu; EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas; former footballer Paul Merson and Karen Hauer; Olympic swimmer Tom Dean and Nadiya Bychkova, and DIY SOS star Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk.
There were no same-sex couples in the show for the first time since 2019 and three professional dancers - Kai Widdrington, Carlos Gu and Lauren Oakley - missed out on getting a celebrity partner this year.
But following the launch show, the new pairings were analysed and the 'ones to watch' who could go onto 'big things' have been revealed. Body language expert Darren Stanton told Betfair Slingo that Olympian Montell and fan-favourite pro Johannes were at the top of his 'most compatible' list, saying they showed ‘instant fire’ and ‘10/10 energy’ on Saturday night, with a ‘really great connection’ from the get-go.
But he adds that Katya and Wynne are ‘ones to watch’ with the potential to deliver ‘big things’ as he places them in his top three, alongside Jamie and Michelle.
Meanwhile, Darren fears for presenter and ex hockey player Sam, who showed signs of being ‘very nervous’, which could lead to a ‘wobble’ in her partnership with Nikita. And the body language expert also worries Pete Wicks could face an ‘early exit’ as he hasn’t got signs of an instant ‘deep rapport’ with previous winner Jowita Przystał, while Toyah Wilcox and Neil Jones round out the three least compatible after the series launch.