Strictly Come Dancing kicked off its 2026 series with a launch show like we’ve never seen before as its three new hosts – Johannes Radebe, Emma Willis and Josh Widdicombe – made their presenting debut.
With more dancing than ever before, the pre-record officially introduced this year’s intake of celebs, gave fans a taste of the revamped format and most importantly, revealed the pairings for the competition ahead.
In three months time, one of those couples will be lifting that glitterball trophy after weeks of dance-offs, surprise scores and last minute fake tans but for now, here’s everything you need to know about this year’s pairings.
Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu
House of the Dragon star Bethany Antonia is in the competition’s only same-sex pairing this year with Chinese dancer Nancy Xu.
Antonia is best known for playing Lady Baela Targaryen in HBO’s Game of Thrones and for roles in Doctors, Stay Close and Doctor Who. She said ahead of joining Strictly that she grew up watching the show and is “so excited to take the challenge on”.
Xu joined Strictly in 2019, having previously competed on the Chinese version of So You Think You Can Dance. Since joining the show, she has been paired with four celebrities – making it the furthest with CBBC presenter Rhys Stephenson, who came in fourth place in 2021.
Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby
Love Island winner Cach Mercer is set to take to the floor with newbie Maddie Ingoldsby, who joined the Strictly professional cast earlier this year.
Ingoldsby is one of the youngest dancers on the show at 21 and a UK National Ballroom Champion. As a child, she took on acting roles in the 2019 film Last Christmas and in a West End production of Annie.
Meanwhile, 25-year-old Mercer rose to fame last year on Love Island, which he won with now-ex Toni Laites. Since then, he’s built up a following on TikTok, where he frequently posts dance videos. “Dancing is a huge passion of mine and I can’t wait to learn ballroom and do the Foxtrot for the first time!” he said after being announced as part of the 2026 cast.
Chris Appleton and Amy Dowden
Chris Appleton is putting down the scissors and lacing up his ballroom shoes, with the hair stylist set to dance with Amy Dowden. Appleton is a celebrity hair stylist who has worked with the likes of Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Ariana Grande and others.
Welsh dancer and former British National Latin Champion Dowden, 36, has been on Strictly since 2017 and has been paired with the likes of Brian Conley, JJ Chalmers and Tom Fletcher over the years. She finished in second place with CBBC presenter Karim Zeroual in 2019 and returned to Strictly full time last year after undergoing treatment for cancer in 2023 and 2024.
Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin
Dani Dyer is back on the Strictly dancefloor after an injury forced her out of the competition last year – and she’s reuniting with Nikita Kuzmin! The 30-year-old, who is the daughter of actor Danny Dyer, won Love Island in 2018 with then-boyfriend Jack Fincham and has since competed on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, Celebrity MasterChef and fronts docuseries The Dyers’ Caravan Park with her famous father.
Ukrainian dancer Kuzmin has been a Strictly staple since 2021 and has made it to the final twice: with Layton Williams in 2023 and with Amber Davies, Dyer’s replacement, last year.
Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington
When asked by The Independent earlier this year who she’d like to be paired with on Strictly, Australian singer Delta Goodrem had just one request: “I’d love to have someone taller than me!” It looks like Strictly has delivered in that regard, pairing her up with 6ft2 pro Kai Widdrington.
Goodrem, who is just shy of 6ft herself, has sold over nine million albums worldwide and just this year, she represented Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest, coming in fourth place. Meanwhile, Widdrington has been a member of the Strictly pro cast since 2021, having moved over from the Irish version of the show. He’s been paired with AJ Odudu, Kaye Adams, Angela Rippon and most recently, Vicky Pattison.
Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley
One of the more surprising additions to the Strictly line-up, dog trainer Graeme Hall is swapping squeaky toys for glitterballs as he’s paired with Lauren Oakley.
The 59-year-old is best known as the host of Channel 5’s Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly but has also appeared on Celebrity Mastermind, The Chase: Celebrity Special and Jeremy Vine. This time, he’s the one being trained by Oakley – the Brummie pro who joined the show in 2022. The former Under-21 British National Champion has danced with Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink during her time so far on the show, and stepped in to dance with JB Gill when fellow pro Amy Dowden was forced to withdraw from the competition in 2024.
Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu
Reigning champion Carlos Gu will be coaching actor Jaime Winstone through the competition this year – so we’re bound to be seeing an EastEnders-themed number at some point.
Winstone, the daughter of actor Ray Winstone, has spent the last two decades racking up credits in British films – from Kidulthood to Made in Dagenham – as well as playing Barbara Windsor in a number of projects, including biopic Babs and flashback episodes of EastEnders. She’ll be dancing with Chinese dancer Gu, who joined the show in 2022 and has since made it to the final twice: first with Molly Rainford and then with Karen Carney, who won last year. No pressure, Jaime!
John Nellis and Katya Jones
Social media personality John Nellis has racked up 20 million followers online with his football content, but will he be just as attention-grabbing with his dance moves? Russian dancer Katya Jones is about to find out, with the couple being paired together this year.
The Northern Irish content creator was an air traffic controller before he left to pursue social media work full time and has since made videos with the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Cristiano Ronaldo. He’s in safe hands with Jones, who’s been on Strictly for 10 years and has one win under her belt, having lifted the trophy with actor Joe McFadden in 2017.
Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola
Lacey Turner is following in the footsteps of her many, many EastEnders colleagues by doing Strictly and luckily, her new pro partner Vito Coppola is used to soap stars by now – having won in 2023 with Coronation Street’s Ellie Leach.
Turner, 38, has been an Albert Square staple since 2004, having landed the role of Stacey Slater on the BBC soap at the age of 16. Meanwhile, Italian dancer Coppola has an impressive track record on Strictly, having made it to the final three times since joining the show in 2022. He also won the Italian version of the show in 2021 with singer Arisa.
Lawrence Robb and Jowita Przystał
Scottish actor Lawrence Robb has been a favourite on Emmerdale since joining to play Mackenzie Boyd in 2020, but can he be a Strictly frontrunner? The answer could be yes, given he’s paired with one-time champion Jowita Przystał.
Robb, 34, is best known for his role in the Yorkshire soap but has also appeared in I Hate Suzie and stage productions of Into the Woods, Legally Blonde and Cinderella. As for Przystał, the Polish former Latin champion – who competed on The Greatest Dancer before joining Strictly – lifted the trophy with Hamza Yassin in her first year on the show and has since danced with Pete Wicks, Jody Cundy and Ross King.
Melanie Walters and Aljaž Škorjanec
Melanie Walters’s omelette-making days are officially behind her with Gavin & Stacey having ended in 2024, which means there’s time for a stint on Strictly with long-time pro Aljaž Škorjanec.
Welsh actor Walters, 64, has appeared in Coronation Street, Holby City and The Bill but she’s best known for playing Stacey’s mum Gwen in the hit BBC sitcom. She’ll be waltzing into the competition with Yugoslavian dancer Škorjanec, who joined the competition in 2013 and has made it to the final three times with Gemma Atkinson, Tasha Ghouri and winner Abbey Clancy.
Dame Sarah Storey and Julian Caillon
Paralympic cyclist and swimmer Dame Sarah Storey is the proud owner of 19 gold medals but she’s now seeing whether she could add the glitterball trophy to her collection.
This year, she’ll be dancing with Australian pro Julian Caillon, who joined the show last year after spending three years on the show’s Aussie version. He was paired with Balvinder Sopal in the last series, with the duo making it to fourth place. This time, he’s paired with one of Great Britain’s most successful Paralympic athletes of all time, with Storey having won six World Championships for swimming and 23 for cycling and holding 75 world records.
Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr
Shaun Wright-Phillips is swapping the football pitch for Strictly’s ballroom floor and the former winger is partnered with American pro Alexis Warr.
The son of ex-England international Ian Wright, Wright-Phillips played for England from 2004 until 2010 as well as Manchester City, Chelsea, Queens Park Rangers and the New York Red Bulls before leaving football in 2017. Meanwhile, Warr joined Strictly last year, securing second place with social media star George Clarke.
Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita
British skeleton racer Tabitha Stoecker won’t be the only one new to Strictly in her partnership, with the 25-year-old paired with newbie Mark Karmalita.
The Canadian Championship winner has made his TV debut with the Strictly launch show, having joined the cast after a career in competitive Latin ballroom dancing. As for Stoecker, sports fans will already know that she’s an Olympic champion in skeleton racing, having taken home gold at the Winter Games this year.
Will Best and Dianne Buswell
Will Best has to be one of the busiest men in TV at the moment, with the presenter hosting the current series of Big Brother and tackling Strictly. Luckily for him, he’s been partnered with longtime pro Dianne Buswell, who’s spent almost 10 years in the cast.
Best, 41, started out presenting T4 on the Beach for Channel 4 as well as the short-lived ITV talent show Dance Dance Dance before hosting ITV’s revival of Big Brother with Strictly alumni AJ Odudu. Australian dancer Buswell joined the show in 2017, having previously competed on Dancing with the Stars in her home country. She went on to win Strictly with comedian Chris McCausland in 2024 and has made it to the final with EastEnders’ Bobby Brazier and her now-partner Joe Sugg.
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
