A former Strictly Come Dancing star has shared her relief that one of the professional dancers hasn't been given a celebrity partner in this year's series.
Speaking on BBC's Morning Live, Helen Skelton, who competed in 2022'a Strictly, told dancer Kai Widdrington, "It's the return of the Glitterball! Kai, we said this is your first time with us, I can say this, we're friends.
"We saw you've not got a partner but we're glad because it means you can hang out with us all week."
Widdrington responded, "I'm here, you've got me all week, I'm here all week Monday to Friday doing Strictly fitness and yeah, it's my first time, I can't wait!"
Widdrington, 29, recently shared his disappointment about not being paired with a celebrity for the upcoming series. In an interview with the Daily Star, he said, "Everyone wants to get a celebrity. Unfortunately, it wasn't my time this series. Two boys couldn't have one this series and sadly I am one of them."
Despite missing out, he remained pragmatic, acknowledging that not all professionals get paired every season. "Some of us don't get partners and that's the way it is," he said. "Let's see what happens next year. Hopefully I'll get one then."
Despite the setback, Widdrington still says he's excited for the new series, which kicked off on Saturday.
He praised the celebrity line-up, saying, "The line-up of celebs this year is amazing. It is going to be a fantastic series, as it always is."
Nearly a million fewer viewers watched the 2024 Strictly Come Dancing launch show on Saturday compared with last year, audience figures indicate.
An average of 5.5 million viewers watched the BBC One programme.
A total of 6.2 million viewers watched the first episode of Strictly in 2023, while an average of 5.4 million watched 2022’s launch, and the 2021 pre-recorded launch show drew in seven million.
A peak of 5.7 million tuned in to watch the launch show at the weekend, while last year the series enjoyed a peak of 6.7 million viewers during the first show of 2023.
The slump followed an investigation launched by the BBC after allegations were made about Giovanni Pernice by 2023 Strictly participant Amanda Abbington are yet to be revealed.
Sherlock actress Abbington was the first to publicly allege “inappropriate” behaviour on the show and claimed she was subjected to a “toxic environment” while she danced alongside Pernice, who denies any wrongdoing and has left the show.
Fellow dancer Graziano Di Prima also departed, and said he “wasn’t meaning to kick” his 2023 dance partner Zara McDermott and did not know where the Love Island star’s allegations had come from.
TV presenter Laura Whitmore and Paralympian Will Bayley have also spoken about duty of care issues.
