Who is Michelle Tsiakkas on Strictly? BBC dancer coupled with Jamie Borthwick for new series

The new series of Strictly Come Dancing stars on Saturday night and one pro who has landed celebrity partner for the first time is Michelle Tsiakkas.

While there are pro dancers every year on Strictly, with them performing stunning routines throughout the series, not all of them get a partner, with Nadiya Bychkova famously 'snubbed' by producers last year and fans complaining for years that Neil Jones 'never gets' one

There have been a few changes to the Strictly pro line-up for 2024, with the exits of both Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima and the unexpected return of Aljaz Škorjanec, 11 years after his one and only Strictly win to date with Abbey Clancy. Vito Coppola is back for his third stint in the BBC ballroom, almost 12 months on from his win with Ellie Leach, while fan favourites like Johannes Radebe, Dianne Buswell and Gorka Marquez are also back.

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A delighted Amy Dowden has partner this year, after her cancer treatment forced her to mostly watch from the sidelines last year and another dancer you might want to keep an eye out for is Michelle, after she has been paired with EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick, who won the Strictly Christmas special at the end of last year.

Who is Strictly's Michelle Tsiakkas

Michelle, 28, is a Latin dance champion who first started dancing at the age of six in her home country of Cyprus. There she became an undefeated champion, winning national titles consecutively from 2001-2011 before moving to London to study.

After moving countries, Michelle went onto represent England at several dance championships, as well as travelling all over the UK with hit show Burn the Floor.

Talking about now being part of the Strictly family, Michelle said: “Being a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing has been my dream ever since I was a little girl. I cannot believe my dream has come true

"I’m so grateful to be joining this incredible family and I can’t wait to step on that magical dance floor and give it my all!”

Ahead of last Saturday's Strictly launch show, Michelle posted old footage of herself dancing on Instagram and wrote: "Where it all began …6 years old and a new found love for dance. The happiness it gave me was immeasurable. And I always remember running to my mum after each performance to hear what she thought of it. She never sugar-coated anything (and she still doesn’t) which make her compliments that much more meaningful."

She added: "Another season of @bbcstrictly commences tonight, and I can’t wait for you all to join us in the world of dance, joy and sparkle"