First 2018 Celebrity Revealed (for real this time)

Unlike earlier in the year when I joked that The Queen would be participating in the 2018 series of Strictly, this time I actually do have the name of the first celebrity who has just been revealed by the BBC.  Expect the BBC to make regular announcements now over the next week or two, and there will be 2 more later today, but for now I can reveal that the first celebrity is………

Katie Piper

Katie is best known as a presenter

Coral opened the book on Katie at 8-1 however she has drifted out to 12-1 (odds correct as of 15/08)

What do you think of the first addition? As always you can let me know right here in the comments or over on the social networks using the links above. I don’t have any prizes…… yet! But stay tuned as the largest competition this site has run will be kicking off when the 2018 series does. More information coming really soon!

Things are starting to pick up for this site now and whilst my hosting costs are currently low they will begin to increase to over £300 a month real soon. If you want to help me out, buy me a much needed pint or just want to say thanks for all the spoilers you can do so using the button below (which paypal will take a cut from) or you can use THIS LINK which sends all the money to me

Should Strictly Include Same Sex Couples? (Poll)

The BBC have today announced that Strictly will not be including same sex couples during the 2018 series.

It’s a topic that comes up every series and I thought it was time to run a poll on the subject.

So do you think the BBC should include same sex couples in Strictly? Let me know your thoughts by voting in the poll or over on the social networks.

[poll id=”64″]

It’s expected that the BBC will begin announcing the contestants for 2018 in the coming week or so, keep your browser pointed here or follow me on the social networks to get the latest news as and when I get it. Also stay tuned because I’ve got a huge competition planned for 2018. More details soon.

We are still in the down time but when Strictly starts my hosting costs will rise from £4 a month to £300+ a month. If you guys want to help out with that or just want to buy me a pint you can do so using the button below which paypal will take a cut out of or THIS LINK which sends all the money to me

2018 Professional Dancers Announced

The BBC have today announced the full professional lineup who will be featuring during the 2018 series. As well as 15 returning pros they will be joined by 3 new pros taking the lineup to a whopping 18. It is not clear at this time if every pro will receive a celebrity or if some will take part in pro routines only.

Returning pros are AJ Pritchard, Aljaž Škorjanec, Amy Dowden, Anton Du Beke, Dianne Buswell, Giovanni Pernice, Gorka Marquez, Janette Manrara, Karen Clifton, Katya Jones, Kevin Clifton, Nadiya Bychkova, Neil Jones, Oti Mabuse and Pasha Kovalev.

They will be joined new pros Johannes Radebe, Luba Mushtuk and Graziano Di Prima

(Picture: BBC)

Johannes Radebe, 31, from South Africa is two-time Professional South African Latin Champion and three time South African Amateur Latin Champion. He is a dancer with the Afro Arimba Dance Company and has also been a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing South Africa for two seasons, both times reaching the final. Speaking to the BBC he had this to say: “Joining Strictly Come Dancing is one of the greatest achievements of my dancing career. It is such an honour to be chosen to be a part of an incredible cast and be part of one of the biggest shows that is celebrated worldwide. I cannot wait to get started and experience the magic with the UK!”

Russian-born Luba Mushtuk is four-time winner of the Italian Dance Championship and Italian Open Latin Show Dance champion. She was ranked 2nd in the European 10 Dance Championships and was a finalist in the Latin European Championship. 28 year old Luba has worked extensively with Broadway and West End show Burn The Floor, was part of the Strictly Come Dancing Live tour and has performed on both Giovanni Pernice’s and Kevin and Karen Clifton’s tours. Luba joined Strictly Come Dancing in 2016 as an assistant choreographer contributing to a number of group routines. She told the BBC: “Words cannot express how thrilled I am to do what I love most on the greatest show on earth! I am super excited and so thankful for this priceless opportunity. I can’t wait to get started as a professional dancer on Strictly… bring on the sparkle!”

Sicilian-born Graziano Di Prima, an Italian Latin Champion, has represented Belgium at the World Championships and made the top 24 at the Latin World Championships (under 21). For the past three years 24 year old Graziano has toured the world with the dance company Burn The Floor. When speaking to the BBC he had this to say: “This is my dream come true! I still can’t believe I will be one of the professional dancers on Strictly Come Dancing. I can’t wait to give all of myself on the dance floor!”

Former pros Brendan Cole and Chloe Hewitt will not be participating in this series.

What do you think of the new pros? You can let me know in the comments or over on Facebook/Twitter as always using the links above