BBC's Strictly Come Dancing announces 'first' for its Christmas special

RuPaul's Drag Race UK finalist Tayce is set to make history as the first drag artist to compete in Strictly Come Dancing, joining this year's Christmas special line-up. The Welsh radio presenter and model expressed her excitement with the 30-year-old, claiming she "cannot wait".

The festive special will see six couples perform a seasonal routine in the hope of impressing judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and Shirley Ballas, along with the voting studio audience. Tayce, who was a runner-up in the second series of the BBC drag reality show, is being pared with professional dancer Kai Widdrington.

The performer said: "My partner and I are going to dance for our lives. In all seriousness, it’s an incredible honour to be the first drag artist to be taking part in Strictly Come Dancing. I hope I do all of my Drag Race and Welsh fans proud. Sign me up for all the glitz, glam and disco balls."

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Although Strictly has not featured a drag artist as a contestant before, actor Layton Williams performed in drag as Betty Rizzo from Grease alongside professional Nikita Kuzmin during the 2023 series.

RuPaul's Drag Race UK judge Michelle Visage also graced the Strictly dance floor in 2019, partnered with Giovanni Pernice, and was the eighth star to leave the competition. Along with her drag and music work, Tayce has presented a number of BBC radio shows and has hosted MTV’s Queerpiphany alongside model Munroe Bergdorf.

It comes after The Last Leg star Josh Widdecombe was announced as the first celebrity to take part in this year’s Christmas episode, where he will be partnered with professional dancer Karen Hauer. The news was announced on Strictly’s sister show It Takes Two, with the rest of the festive line-up set to be revealed on the program.