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Kelly Rissman
US News Reporter
Strictly Come Dancing returned to our screens last night, after a year of being plagued by scandal and controversy.
The BBC show also celebrated the triumphant return of professional dancer Amy Dowden, with a specially dedicated performance following her treatment for breast cancer. The segment left viewers “in tears”.
However, some favourite faces were missing. Among them was Kai Widdrington who did not receive a celebrity partner this year.
Widdrington won hearts when he joined the show in 2021 and reached the final with Celebrity Big Brother host AJ Odudu. As the pairings were due to be announced, he revealed his thoughts on the snub in an interview with the Daily Star.
“Everyone wants to get a celebrity,” he said. “Unfortunately it wasn’t my time this series. Two boys couldn’t have one this series and sadly I am one of them.”
He continued in good spirits, “Some of us don’t get partners and that’s the way it is. Let’s see what happens next year. Hopefully I’ll get one then.”
The BBC responded to criticism about the gender split of the show earlier this year, saying “it’s never been about ticking boxes”. Contestants include nine men and six women, which meant that some professionals were dropped from the lineup, including Widdrington.
However, it has allowed some female professionals to be partnered with a celebrity for the first time, such as Michelle Tsiakkas, who is dancing with EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick.
Widdrington said he did have faith that it would be a “fantastic series” and he will still be present for group routines on the show.
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“We have been filming a lot of the group routines,” he continued. “There are some amazing ones. We have worked really hard through the summer to get them ready for the series. One of the ones I feature in is very funny.”
Some had speculated that the dancer’s exclusion from the main lineup was because of his rumoured breakup with fellow professional dancer Nadiya Bychkova, who is partnered with Olympic swimmer and gold medallist Tom Dean.
The couple, who have been dating since January 2022 after first meeting on the show, have not addressed rumours that they have split.
Fans were left disappointed at his absence as they wrote, “Gutted ... all my fave dancers missing this year. Really sad not to see Kai Widdrington. I was hoping he’d have a real chance this year. Disappointed.”
Others questioned, “Did I miss it? Why doesn’t Kai Widdrington have a partner this year?”
