Last weekend, BBC fans watched this year’s Strictly Come Dancing contestants meet the professional dancers they’d been matched with for this series. Viewers were thrilled to see the return of pros such as Johannes Radebe, Dianne Buswell, Karen Huer and Nikita Kuzmin. However, this year the likes of Neil Jones and Nadiya Bychkova will also be competing after being given a celebrity partner.
Although the two dancers were seen in group numbers last year, they missed out on a chance to compete. Sadly, that’s the case this year for Kai Widdrington who was matched with Angela Rippon in 2023. With the first live show airing on Saturday night, Erin Boag explained people are not always guaranteed a partner as bosses would’ve assessed who went well together.
Speaking on behalf of Spin Genie, she told Express.co.uk: “I don't think you can take this personally as a professional, because all of the professionals are fabulous.
“I can't name any professional that's ever been on that show that shouldn't have been there, because they're all fabulous, and they all work hard, but sometimes it's nice to showcase somebody else.” Admitting that Neil is always benched, having only competed twice since he joined in 2026, Erin highlighted there’s another professional fans are yet to see on the dancefloor. Erin added: “Michelle, we haven't seen her yet.
She's been there for a couple of years. In the background, what you do as a professional, if you are, they call it, 'benched' is the.