Sarah Hadland told Strictly stars she would 'only be happy' with one pro partner

Sarah Hadland confessed how she would only be happy to be paired with one professional dance partner. The Miranda actor, 53, told how she was desperate to be partnered with one person in particular, ahead of the hit show's return to screens.

And she was delighted to get her wish - with her partner to be revealed on tonight's show. Speaking to the Mirror ahead of tonight's launch, fellow contestant JB Gill revealed how determined Sarah had been to nab her dancer.

"I spoke to Sarah literally before we even found out and she was like, ‘I want this one, I want this one, I want this one’," he shared. "I messaged her afterwards and I still didn’t know. I asked, ‘Are you happy?’ And she said, ‘I’m sooo happy!’"

READ MORE: All the Strictly Come Dancing stars we've lost over its 22-year run

She went on: "Everyone else was like, oh I don’t mind! But I was like, no I want this person! I won’t be happy with anyone else, I just want this one! So, my god, I did get the person I wanted."

Sarah is just one of six women in this series - the fewest number ever in the show's history. It has been suggested that allegations targeting both professional dancers Graziano Di Prima and Giovanni Pernice may have had an impact on the recruitment for Strictly 2024, the Mirror reports.

Toyah Willcox, 66, will be the oldest female competitor in the competition this year and - when asked whether the controversy had made her reluctant to take part, she said: "I can't bear the thought of anyone suffering in any way, but we've all come into this knowing what's expected of us and it is 100% commitment - you've got to commit to communicating and basically turn the team around.

"The team is so spectacular - we have people with us all the time, we have an openness where we can talk immediately if we have any concerns. They have done absolutely everything to make this a good experience for all of us."

Strictly Come Dancing bosses have pulled out all the stops for the programme's 20th anniversary but as Graziano was sacked and Giovanni faces an internal probe, the crisis at the Beeb has considerably overshadowed the festivities.