Strictly Come Dancing series 24

Strictly Come Dancing
Series 24
Presented byEmma Willis
Josh Widdicombe
Johannes Radebe
JudgesShirley Ballas
Anton Du Beke
Motsi Mabuse
Craig Revel Horwood
Release
Original networkBBC One
Series chronology

Strictly Come Dancing is scheduled to return for its twenty-fourth series with a launch show set to broadcast in September 2026 on BBC One, with the live shows beginning afterwards. Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe replaced Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman as hosts, following their departures after the previous series, whilst Ellie Taylor became the new presenter of Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two, replacing Fleur East and Janette Manrara. Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke are set to return to the judging panel.[1] The series marked a notable revamp within the show's history, with a replacement of the presenters and the first time the logo had changed since the eighth series.

Production

Hosts and Judges of Strictly Come Dancing series 24
Emma Willis
Josh Widdicombe
Johannes Radebe
Craig Revel Horwood
Motsi Mabuse
Shirley Ballas
Anton Du Beke

In October 2025, while the previous series was in production, hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman announced their departures from the show.[2] In a joint statement, they said "We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly Come Dancing has been an absolute dream. We were always going to leave together and now feels like the right time."[3][4] The BBC subsequently began holding auditions for new presenters, who subsequently held "chemistry tests" prior to the decision.[5] Several presenters and former contestants were rumoured to become new presenters, including former Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two host and series 3 contestant Zoe Ball, current It Takes Two host and series 20 contestant Fleur East, former It Takes Two host Rylan Clark, series 9 contestant and The One Show presenter Alex Jones, series 21 contestant Angela Scanlon, series 12 contestant Alison Hammond and series 23 contestant La Voix, as well as Bradley Walsh, Tom Allen and Emma Willis.[5] In May 2026, Ball confirmed she had auditioned as presenter, but was rejected for the role, stating that she had "worked through the 7 stages of rejection and grief".[6][7] Clark and Sara Cox both confirmed later that they had participated in screen tests for the roles, along with several others.[8][9] East also confirmed that she would not be presenting the series, stating that she felt she would be acceptable with "not doing it or not being considered for the job", but said she was "kind of bothered."[10]

On 19 May 2026, it was confirmed that Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe would present the series. Widdicombe previously appeared as a contestant on the 2024 Christmas Special, while Radebe had appeared as a professional dancer since the sixteenth series. It marks the first time that the show will be regularly presented by three hosts.[11] In August 2026, it was announced on Willis' BBC Radio 2 show that series 20 contestant Ellie Taylor would be taking over the role of presenting the spin-off show Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two, replacing East and Janette Manrara.[12]

Professional dancers

In March 2026, it was reported that several professional dancers would be leaving the show.[13][14] Later that month, Karen Hauer, the show's longest serving female professional who had appeared since the tenth series, confirmed her departure and said that it was "the right time" to leave the show and focus on other projects.[15][16] Nadiya Bychkova, who had served as a professional since the fifteenth series was also announced to be leaving the show, and said in a statement that the show had "allowed [her] to discover new sides of [herself], develop new skills, and evolve as an artist in ways [she would] always be grateful for."[17][18] Luba Mushtuk, who joined the show during the sixteenth series, also confirmed her departure, and thanked the show for "the amazing opportunity and unforgettable memories" adding that "it [had] truly meant the world to [her]".[19][20] Michelle Tsiakkas, who joined during the twentieth series, subsequently confirmed she had been dismissed from the show. Tsiakkas said she was told via a Zoom call that her contract had not been renewed and said that her "dream was shattered", as well as that she was "grieving for her job".[21] She ultimately decided not to participate in Strictly: The Professionals tour.[22][23] The following month, Gorka Márquez, a professional since the fourteenth series, was the final professional to confirm to be leaving the show, following his reduced role the previous series due to his commitments as a judge on the Spanish version of the show Bailando con las estrellas.[24] Márquez said that being part of Strictly Come Dancing had been "so much more than just a professional opportunity", adding that "it allowed [him] to build a career from [his] passion", and that he would "forever be thankful."[25]

In May 2026, the BBC confirmed that Dianne Buswell, Julian Caillon, Vito Coppola, Amy Dowden, Carlos Gu, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Lauren Oakley, Jowita Przystał, Johannes Radebe, Aljaž Škorjanec, Alexis Warr, Kai Widdrington and Nancy Xu would all be returning for this series. Radebe was later confirmed to be co-presenting the show.[26][27] In July 2026, five new professional dancers were announced for the series: Aleksandra Isaeva, Maddie Ingoldsby, Mark Karmalita, Lethabo Monametsi and Cristian Priori.[28]

Couples

On 10 June 2026, Lacey Turner was announced as the first contestant to be competing in the series.[29] Following her withdrawal from the previous series prior to the first week due to an ankle injury, Dani Dyer was announced to be returning as a contestant for this series.[30] Celebrity reveals continued over the next two months, before the line-up was completed on 12 August 2026.[31]

Celebrity Notability Professional partner Status
Bethany Antonia House of the Dragon actress TBA Participating
Cach Mercer Love Island winner TBA Participating
Chris Appleton Celebrity hairstylist TBA Participating
Dani Dyer Television personality TBA Participating
Delta Goodrem Singer-songwriter & actress TBA Participating
Graeme Hall Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly trainer TBA Participating
Jaime Winstone Film & television actress TBA Participating
John Nellis Social media personality TBA Participating
Lacey Turner EastEnders actress TBA Participating
Lawrence Robb Emmerdale actor TBA Participating
Melanie Walters Gavin & Stacey actress TBA Participating
Sarah Storey Paralympic cyclist & swimmer TBA Participating
Shaun Wright-Phillips England footballer & pundit TBA Participating
Tabby Stoecker Olympic skeleton racer TBA Participating
Will Best Television & radio presenter TBA Participating

References

  1. ↑ "Strictly Come Dancing 2026 returning Professional Dancers, Judges and spectacular Theme Weeks revealed". BBC. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  2. ↑ "Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman to leave Strictly Come Dancing". BBC News. 23 October 2025. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  3. ↑ Duggins, Alexi (23 October 2025). "Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly to leave Strictly Come Dancing". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  4. ↑ "Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly to leave Strictly Come Dancing". The Times. 23 October 2025. Archived from the original on 26 April 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  5. 1 2 Mensah, Katelyn. "9 Strictly Come Dancing presenter contenders tipped to be in auditions | Radio Times". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 21 April 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  6. ↑ "Strictly Come Dancing: Zoe Ball confirms she will not be show's new presenter". BBC News. 12 May 2026. Archived from the original on 13 May 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  7. ↑ "Zoe Ball loses out on Strictly presenting role". Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 13 May 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  8. ↑ "Rylan shares joke video of himself crying inconsolably after losing out on Strictly". The Independent. 20 May 2026. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  9. ↑ Sansome, Jessica (19 May 2026). "Sara Cox opens up bid for Strictly host job after BBC Radio 2 Breakfast role". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  10. ↑ "Another Strictly Come Dancing host frontrunner rules themselves out: "I'm kind of bothered"". Digital Spy. 13 May 2026. Archived from the original on 13 May 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  11. ↑ "Strictly Come Dancing 2026 presenting trio Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe unveiled". BBC. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
  12. ↑ "Strictly Come Dancing announces new It Takes Two, hosted by Ellie Taylor". BBC.
  13. ↑ Mensah, Katelyn. "Strictly tipped for even more pro dancer changes as another 'dropped' | Radio Times". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 5 April 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  14. ↑ "Revealed: The savage way Strictly is 'picking' which professional dancers stay on the show". Cosmopolitan. 24 March 2026. Archived from the original on 28 March 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  15. ↑ "Strictly Come Dancing: Karen Hauer to leave show after 14 years". BBC. 21 March 2026. Archived from the original on 23 March 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  16. ↑ "Strictly Come Dancing's Karen Hauer quits show after 14 years". ITV News. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  17. ↑ Mensah, Katelyn. "Strictly Come Dancing 2026 confirms major change for professional dancer | Radio Times". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 6 May 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  18. ↑ "Strictly star Nadiya Bychkova confirms exit from BBC series amid ongoing overhaul". The Independent. 26 March 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  19. ↑ "Luba Mushtuk Becomes Latest Strictly Pro To Leave Show Ahead Of This Year's Series". HuffPost. 27 March 2026. Archived from the original on 28 March 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  20. ↑ "Strictly Come Dancing hit by another exit as a third professional quits". The Independent. 27 March 2026. Archived from the original on 28 March 2026. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  21. ↑ Mensah, Katelyn. "Strictly Come Dancing star reveals upset after being axed from show | Radio Times". Radio Times. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  22. ↑ "Strictly professional quits 2026 tour after being 'axed' from series". The Independent. 14 March 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  23. ↑ ""Finding the light again": Strictly pro speaks out about being 'axed' from the show and quitting live tour". Cosmopolitan. 13 March 2026. Archived from the original on 20 March 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  24. ↑ Mensah, Katelyn. "Strictly Come Dancing confirms exit of fan-favourite dancer after 10 years | Radio Times". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 6 May 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  25. ↑ Karasin, Ekin (29 April 2026). "Gorka Marquez's surprising career move revealed after Strictly exit". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 30 April 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  26. ↑ "Strictly Come Dancing: Five pros to leave the show as line-up confirmed". BBC News. 6 May 2026. Archived from the original on 13 May 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  27. ↑ "Five pros to leave Strictly Come Dancing as full line-up confirmed". ITV News. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  28. ↑ "Strictly Come Dancing announces five new Pro Dancers". BBC Media Centre. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  29. ↑ "Lacey Turner is the first celebrity contestant confirmed for Strictly Come Dancing 2026". BBC Media Centre. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  30. ↑ Turner, Laura Jane (11 June 2026). "Strictly Come Dancing confirms SECOND celebrity contestant – with past connection to the show". Digital Spy. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  31. ↑ "Strictly's celebrity dancers – and everything else we know for 2026". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
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