First Strictly Come Dancing celebrity to be axed 'revealed' ahead of new BBC series
The first celebrity to be eliminated from this year's Strictly Come Dancing has been predicted by bookmakers, just hours before the 2024 series kicks off.
Fans are eagerly awaiting the return of the popular BBC dance competition, which will celebrate its 20th anniversary tonight. A new batch of celebrities will take to the dance floor in tonight's episode, where they will meet their professional dance partners for the first time.
Among the stars participating are former hockey player Sam Quek MBE, football legend Paul Merson and DIY SOS star Nick Knowles. They will join Olympian Montell Douglas, EastEnders' Jamie Borthwick, X Factor's Shayne Ward, Miranda's Sarah Hadland, TOWIE's Pete Wicks, Love Island's Tasha Ghouri, Morning Live's Dr Punam Krishan, 80's icon Toyah Willcox, Go Compare's Wynne Evans, JLS' JB Gill, comedian Chris McCausland and Olympic swimmer Tom Dean.
READ MORE: Strictly Come Dancing's Toyah Willcox predicts dark horse to win the 2024 series
READ MORE: Strictly Come Dancing 2024 launch show: Is it live and start and finish time as pairings announced
There is already speculation about who will be the first to leave the show. The live shows begin next weekend, with one unfortunate star set to be sent home.
It has been suggested that former footballer Paul Merson could be the first to go. Despite not having shown his dancing skills yet, Paul has odds of 5/2 to be the first to be sent home, reports the Mirror.
Nicola McGeady of Ladbrokes revealed to The Sun: "Before a move is even made, punters are backing Paul Merson to be the first star axed from Strictly. He's not the only one in the danger zone though, with Nick Knowles and Punam Krishan also expected to underperform."
But it's not all doom and gloom for the celebrities, as favourites have emerged among the betting circles: Love Island's Tasha Ghouri, actor Jamie Borthwick, JLS singer JB Gill and artist Shayne Ward are each positioned at 4/1 odds to clinch the Glitterball trophy.
In a heartfelt conversation with the Mirror about his reasons for joining the cast, Paul expressed a desire to demonstrate that there is hope after addiction, recounting his own struggles with alcohol, drugs, and gambling. He shared with us: "Being an addict and a recovering alcoholic myself....to show people watching this show who have got addictions, that you can go out and do something like this...is so important. Because addiction takes you away from everything. That's all it ever does. It wants you on your own. Now I'm going in front of millions of people doing something I'm not very good at. I used to think, 'I can't do things like that' but now I've got the opportunity to try."
Tonight's episode will feature judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke giving their initial thoughts on the dancing duos. In honour of professional dancer Amy Dowden's return, a celebratory group dance involving all the professionals will be part of the launch show.
The stunning and empowering Quickstep routine will place Amy centre stage. Fans will also welcome back Aljaz Skorjanec after a two-year break as he resumes his role as a pro dancer.
Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturdays and Sundays on BBC One