Oti Mabuse is too big for Strictly
Mabuse, the eight-time Latin champion back in her native South Africa, first entered the Strictly franchise by appearing on the German version, Let’s Dance, in 2015. Later…
Oti Mabuse to leave Strictly Come Dancing for ITV
Announcing the news, Mabuse said it was “never easy to say goodbye”. “I have been part of the most amazing TV show, Strictly Come Dancing, for the…
Dame Arlene Phillips: ‘Getting dropped from Strictly was the worst day of my whole career’
Best known for her role as one of the judges on the Strictly Come Dancing panel for the first six series, 78-year-old Dame Arlene Phillips is a…
Mel Giedroyc interview: ‘Maybe it’s finally time I said yes to Strictly’
Not for the first time, Giedroyc makes me snort with laughter. Interviewers have often said that talking to her feels like talking to a friend, but in…
Strictly Come Dancing Live, Birmingham Utilita Arena review: lorryloads of glamour and goodwill
TV presenter AJ Odudu suffered hoofing heartbreak when she reached the final but was forced to pull out with torn ankle ligaments. She’d hoped to recover in…
Pining for Strictly? Try London’s first five-star hotel with its own dance studio
“It’s a challenge for clever women, they overanalyse when they need to just relax and trust their partner,” sighed Viktoriya. As she pulled me into a waltz…
Travel Man: 96 Hours in Iceland, review: new host Joe Lycett steadies the ship
Luckily, Travel Man has never really been about the places they visit. (A point proven by the fact that the show visited Iceland not that long ago,…
Death in Paradise Christmas special, review: a half-hearted attempt at festive cheer
The blurb for the Death in Paradise special (BBC One) promised “a ray of Caribbean sunshine this Christmas time”. I’ve seen more sunshine on a wet weekend…
The Queen’s touching tribute to Duke of Edinburgh tops Christmas Day TV ratings
A further six programmes from the channel were among the top 10 most watched of the day. Third place went to Call The Midwife with 4.7 million…
Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special, review: from Peckham to penguinography – a joyful end to a vintage year
Opening the show, Sirieix formed a frisky French-Australian pairing with pro Dianne Buswell. With hair dyed red to match his partner’s, he dressed as an undignified turkey…
From Scrooge to Superworm: the definitive guide to watching TV on Christmas Day
Family members giving and receiving (the remote control). Children with faces aglow (from the screen). Everyone gathering around the tree (to face the other way, towards the…
‘Your friendship gave me wings’: how Strictly 2021 has been life-changing for its pro dancers
It was also a great year for the debut pros – who don’t always make a strong impression in their inaugural season. But the homegrown talent Kai…
Strictly Come Dancing 2021 Final: Rose and Giovanni lift the Glitterball in emotional finale
Rose Ayling-Ellis was the hot favourite going into the final – and even more so when competitor AJ Odudu was forced to pull out with an injury,…
Strictly Come Dancing 2021 Final, review: historic night as Rose and Giovanni are crowned champions
The finalists had been introduced dancing in front of huge glowing stars in an opening pro dance to the strains of Boy Meets Girl’s Waiting for a…
Which Strictly team will you be cheering on?
Never was this more brilliantly encompassed than Rose and Giovanni’s dance in week eight, the Couple’s Choice (to be reprised in the final), when for several seconds…
Only two to tango in Strictly final after AJ Odudu quits over leg injury
“Thank you to the Strictly family for the experience, the medical team for trying to get me back on my feet and mostly, to everyone at home…
Strictly professional Karen Hauer: ‘I don’t like showing my legs on the dancefloor, I’m not a piece of meat’
My journey with sport and exercise started because of my mum, who used to play for the Venezuelan softball team. She played all around the world and…
Strictly Come Dancing 2021: the final – who will win?
Strictly journey™: Rose started unpromisingly but developed a tight, trusting bond with Giovanni. “Team Rio” announced their arrival with a Titanic foxtrot in Movie Week and haven’t…
Strictly Come Dancing 2021: who has left so far and who is through to this weekend’s final?
AJ Odudu was the third celebrity to be confirmed. Perhaps one of the lesser-known faces on the show this year, Odudu will be familiar to some from her…
Show-stealing AJ Odudu was everything a Strictly contestant should be
She’s trained ferociously hard over the past 13 weeks to maintain that dazzling standard. Of her fellow finalists, Rose Ayling-Ellis is a ballroom specialist, while John Whaite’s…
AJ Odudu pulls out of Strictly Come Dancing final over foot injury
Ayling-Ellis remains the favourite to win the competition. She and her professional partner, Giovanni Pernice, will reprise their Couple’s Choice routine, which included 10 seconds of silence…
Rose and Giovanni show why politically correct television doesn’t have to be forced
The Strictly grand final on Saturday will feature three of the most talented couples the show has ever seen. In any previous year, John and Johannes or…
Strictly Come Dancing 2021, semi-final results: Rhys Stephenson misses out on the grand final
No one ever wants to leave Strictly, but it’s particularly gutting to be eliminated in the semi-final, just one week shy of the season’s big finish. This…
Strictly Come Dancing 2021, semi-final results, live: Rhys Stephenson misses out on the grand final
No one ever wants to leave Strictly, but it’s particularly gutting to be eliminated in the semi-final, just one week shy of the season’s big finish. This…
Strictly Come Dancing 2021: Week 12 semi-final, live – the girls top a high-scoring leaderboard
Well, the two-dance semi-final usually sees the standard drop as the celebrities struggle with twice the workload, but not this year. AJ Odudu and Rose Ayling-Ellis are…