Filming for Strictly Come Dancing is in full swing as the show gears up for its 20th season next month, and a recent sighting may have indicated a new pairing.
DIY SOS host Nick Knowles and pro dancer Nadiya Bychkova were seen together at a London shopping centre, sparking speculation that they could be partnered on the show.
In photos obtained by MailOnline, the two seemed to be enjoying themselves as they interacted with the camera crew documenting their activities. At one point, Nick, 61, took a cigarette break while conversing with the production team.
Their appearance together has fans buzzing about the potential new partnership as Strictly Come Dancing prepares to reveal its official pairings.
A BBC spokesperson told The Standard: “The Strictly Come Dancing celebrity contestant and professional dancer pairings will be announced, as usual, in the launch show airing in the Autumn and on the official Strictly channels.”
If Nick and Nadiya do end up as partners, the TV presenter will be in capable hands. Nadiya has been a prominent fixture on Strictly Come Dancing since 2017.
Throughout her tenure, she has been paired with several notable celebrities, including Bros' Matt Goss, EastEnders' Davood Ghadami, Blue's Lee Ryan, and footballer David James. Her most successful pairing was with Channel 5 presenter Dan Walker, with whom she finished in fifth place.
Nadiya was not paired with a celebrity for the 2023 series, a decision that drew criticism from Dan Walker.
He penned after the news broke: “All the pros are great but gutted to hear that @nadiyabychkova hasn’t got a partner. I’m sure she’s still looking forward to being part of the biggest show on TV but it feels a bit like putting Messi on the bench for the World Cup final!”
The 2024 lineup for Strictly Come Dancing includes just six women out of the 15 stars set to compete. Among the contestants are TOWIE’s Pete Wicks, comedian Chris McCausland, Love Island star Tasha Ghouri, opera singer Wynne Evans, and JLS's JB Gill.
They will be joined by former footballer Paul Merson, 80s music legend Toyah Willcox, BBC Morning Live's Dr. Punam Krishan, and former England hockey player Sam Quek MBE.
The remaining contestants are Gladiators athlete Montell Douglas, Olympic swimmer Tom Dean, EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick, The X Factor winner Shayne Ward, and Miranda actress Sarah Hadland.
With only 15 celebrities and 17 professional dancers, two male professionals will not be paired this year, and Kai Widdrington is rumored to be one of them.
Kai, who recently split from Nadiya, previously partnered with AJ Odudu, Kaye Adams, and Angela Rippon.
A source told The Sun: “Kai has become the first casualty of this year’s male-heavy line-up.
“With so few female celebrities it was inevitable that some of the professionals would miss out on a pairing, but it’s a real blow that Kai is one of them.
“He had a great run last series with Angela and is a fan favourite. They look at everything from height through to chemistry tests to see who will work best together and it’s meant Kai has missed out.”
