BBC Breakfast host Dan Walker will NOT join the Strictly 2022 live arena tour, following his emotional quarter-final exit last weekend.
Meanwhile John Whaite and Johannes Radebe, and Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice, will all keep dancing next year.
Other pairs from this year's Strictly line-up announced for the tour include Sara Davies and Aljaz Skorjanec, AJ Odudu and Kai Widdrington, Tilly Ramsay and Nikita Kuzmin, and CBBC star Rhys Stephenson and Nancy Xu.
The Wanted singer Max George, who competed on Strictly in 2020, will also join the 2022 tour, paired with Katya Jones.
Read our Strictly live blog below for the latest news and gossip…
- Joseph Gamp
How long does the Strictly live tour last?
The couples will take to the road for more than 30 shows, with Strictly professionals Amy Dowden, Neil Jones, Luba Mushtuk and Jowita Przystal also involved.
It was previously announced that judges Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas and Bruno Tonioli will be part of the tour line-up, marking Tonioli's Strictly return after he missed this year's show due to uncertainty over travel as he is based in the US.
Strictly professional Janette Manrara will host the 2022 tour, after she hung up her dancing shoes this year to replace Zoe Ball as the host of It Takes Two.
- Joseph Gamp
Double dance semi-final this Saturday!
John Whaite and Johannes Radebe will dance to Coldplay and Adele during the Strictly Come Dancing semi-final, as the contestants perform twice in a bid to make it to the grand finale.
Bake Off winner Whaite and his professional partner will jive to Higher Power by music superstars Coldplay and deliver a couple's choice routine to Adele's Hometown Glory.
EastEnders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice, meanwhile, will dance an Argentine tango to A Evaristo Carriego by Eduardo Rovira, and waltz to How Long Will I Love You by pop star Ellie Goulding.
AJ Odudu and her partner Kai Widdrington face a rumba, often the most challenging dance for contestants, to Show Me Heaven by Maria McKee.
They will also take on a quickstep to Sing, Sing, Sing by Benny Goodman.
Finally, CBBC host Rhys Stephenson and pro partner Nancy Xu will deliver a samba to It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Stasera) performed by Michael Buble, before dancing a tango to Queen's One Vision.
- Joseph Gamp
Aj & Kai officially an item
So… did you hear?
AJ and Kai are officially an item after things hotted up between them on Strictly.
A source told the Mail on Sunday that the pair had made no secret that they were falling for each other after spending hours together in training.
It follows fans catching AJ liking a tweet that speculated about her and Kai’s romantic relationship earlier in the week
- Joseph Gamp
Nadiya Bychkova leaves fans ‘uncomfortable’
Strictly’s Nadiya Bychkova leaves fans ‘uncomfortable’ as she gives Dan Walker ‘very special’ thanks.
Dan Walker appeared on the It Takes Two sofa on Monday night alongside Nadiya – and the moving interview had people in bits.
One person took to Twitter to say: “All the tears for Dan & Nadiya’s farewell interview. They’re so bloody lovely.
Another said: “That was lovely but at the same time slightly uncomfortable.”
A third wrote: “I find her relationship with Dan very strange I think she is slightly obsessed.”
- Milica Cosic
Explained: When is the Strictly 2021 final?
Another year of BBC's Strictly Come Dancing is coming to an end soon.
The Strictly Come Dancing 2021 final is set to air one week before Christmas Day, on Saturday 18 December, 2021.
You can watch the Strictly Come Dancing finale on BBC One at 7pm on Saturday, December 18, 2021.
Alternatively, you can watch the final on BBC iPlayer during the show, or after it has aired.
Otherwise, in the meantime you can follow our blog for all the latest Strictly news and gossip.
- Milica Cosic
Semi-final dance routines revealed
AJ Odudu and Kai Widdrington will be performing the rumba to Maria McKee's 'Show Me Heaven', as well as the quickstep to Benny Goodman's 'Sing, Sing, Sing'.
Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice have been confirmed to be doing the Argentine tango to Eduardo Rovira's 'A Evaristo Carriego' and the waltz to Ellie Goulding's 'How Long Will I Love You'.
John Whaite and Johannes Radebe will be doing the jive to Coldplay's 'Higher Power'. They're also doing a Couple's Choice routine to Adele's 'Hometown Glory'.
And lastly, Rhys Stephenson and Nancy Xu are performing the samba to Michael Bublé's 'It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Stasera)' and the tango to Queen's 'One Vision'.
- Milica Cosic
Nadiya Bychkova leaves fans 'uncomfortable'
Strictly's Nadiya Bychkova leaves fans 'uncomfortable' as she gives Dan Walker 'very special' thanks.
Dan Walker appeared on the It Takes Two sofa on Monday night alongside Nadiya – and the moving interview had people in bits.
One person took to Twitter to say: "All the tears for Dan & Nadiya’s farewell interview. They’re so bloody lovely.
Another said: "That was lovely but at the same time slightly uncomfortable."
A third wrote: "I find her relationship with Dan very strange I think she is slightly obsessed."
- Milica Cosic
Strictly spoilers gotta stop
Week in, week out Strictly Come Dancing fans have begged show bosses to make a major change to the show to stop spoilers from leaking online.
Viewers are not happy over continually finding out who landed in the bottom two and ultimately which celeb gets sent home every week thanks to online spoilers.
Fingers crossed it doesn't happen this weekend!
- Milica Cosic
Nadiya Bychkova on dancing with Dan
DAN Walker shared an emotional goodbye to Strictly Come Dancing viewers when he was eliminated on Sunday alongside Nadia Bychkova.
The pair both paid tribute to one another with pro Nadia telling the BBC Breakfast star: "You're the best person I ever met."
Nadiya, who is married to Russian dance pro Sergey Konovaltsev, told the TV host: "Thank you for all your hard work. all the fun we had. Just for everything."
The 32-year-old star added: "You are the best person I ever met."
He said: "Being serious for a minute, thank you for being amazing. Thank you for teaching me so much."
Dan, 44, earlier paid tribute to his pro dancer on Strictly, telling host Tess Daly: "The last 11 weeks have been absolutely amazing, I’ve genuinely loved every second of it.
“When I go back to the first day when I was asked to dance in front of some glitter balls.
"At that point, if there had been a fire exit, I felt that uncomfortable I’d have just walked away.
“But this amazing woman grabbed me by the hand, and brought me out on to this dance floor.
“I’m not a dancer, but she showed me that I can dance, and that for me, this has been an absolutely incredible experience."
- Milica Cosic
Recap: Sunday’s dance off (Continued…)
Topping the scores were Rhys Stephenson with his partner Nancy Xu, who scored a near perfect 39 points for their Argentine tango.
Rose Ayling-Ellis and her partner Giovanni Pernice tied with Rhys in the top spot with 39 points for their American smooth.
After them came John Whaite and his partner Johannes Radebe, who had a fumble with a final lift meaning their dance earned them 32 points.
But they weren't the only ones who made a major mistake on the dance floor, as AJ Odudu and Kai Widdrington's dance malfunction saw them at the bottom of the leaderboard with 30 points.
- Milica Cosic
Recap: Sunday's dance off
Dan Walker was eliminated from Strictly on December 5, 2021.
The BBC broadcaster thanked everyone at Strictly Come Dancing, including the judges and his partner, Nadia Bychkova.
He said: “The last 11 weeks have been absolutely amazing, I’ve genuinely loved every second of it.
“When I go back to the first day when I was asked to dance in front of some glitter balls. At that point, if there had been a fire exit, I felt that uncomfortable I’d have just walked away.
“But this amazing woman grabbed me by the hand, and brought me out on to this dance floor.
“I’m not a dancer, but she showed me that I can dance, and that for me, this has been an absolutely incredible experience."
- Milica Cosic
When is Strictly next on TV?
Strictly continues on Saturday, December 11, 2021 at 7.05pm.
The results show will air the following day at 7.20pm on Sunday, December 12, 2021.
The final is on Saturday, December 18, 2021.
You can also catch any missed episodes on the BBC iPlayer.
- Milica Cosic
Dan Walker: My time had to come to an end
BBC Breakfast host Dan Walker has said his time on Strictly Come Dancing gave him a new appreciation for the skill of professional dancers.
Presenting the morning news show for the first time since his elimination from the competition on Sunday night, the 44-year-old admitted he had felt “closed off” from dancing for many years.
He and professional partner Nadiya Bychkova, 32, missed out a coveted spot in this week’s semi-final after losing the dance-off to AJ Odudu and Kai Widdrington.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, he said: “We get to see people at the very top of their games in sport and in all sorts of areas of life.
“I had no appreciation of how good pro dancers were until I saw it up close and personal and started trying to learn it myself.
“They’re just so good at what they do.
“I appreciate what dancing is all about now and for many years… (I felt) closed off from that world.”
- Milica Cosic
Strictly news you may have missed
- Strictly Come Dancing’s AJ Odudu cosies up to Kai Widdrington after they ‘confirmed’ romance
- Dan Walker won’t appear on show’s live tour despite quarter-final glory
- Christmas special thrown into chaos after Sheridan Smith pulls out with just days notice
- Strictly fans claim Dan Walker ‘knew he was going’ after spotting ‘clue’ during dance off
- Fans are all saying the same thing about AJ and Kai’s dance-off routine after spotting ‘big change’
John & Johannes’ tribute (Continued…)
Speaking on BBC Breakfast John Whaite continued to say: “Growing up with the shame of being gay, the shame of not being accepted by society, by people telling us to be more masculine, you know, people trying to shoehorn us into the notion of being a man and so we wanted to do this dance to say a huge thank you to the people who allowed us to not be shoehorned, to not be silenced.
“The people who supported us and held us up when we needed holding up, the people who have paved the way the older members of the LGBTQ+ community who paved the way to enable two burly blokes, well, burly-ish, to go on Saturday night TV, on primetime television, you know as Johannes said, society has been so progressive, western society at least is so progressive and so we want to dedicate this dance to everybody who made this happen basically."
- Milica Cosic
John & Johannes' semi-final dance tribute
Strictly Come Dancing pair John Whaite and Johannes Radebe have revealed that their couples choice routine will pay tribute to everyone who has supported them in their journey.
Professional dancer Radebe, 34, and former Bake Off winner Whaite, 32, made history this year by becoming the first all-male pairing on the BBC One dancing series.
They have made it through to the semi-finals this weekend, where the remaining four couples will perform two routines.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Whaite said: “So for our couples choice we’re doing it to Adele’s Hometown Glory, and what Johannes and I realised since we met each other and became dance partners and now lifelong friends is that we share history".
- Milica Cosic
Richest Strictly professionals
New analysis has revealed that Dianne Buswell is the most influential dancer on the show.
Analysis conducted by furniture retailer Bed Kingdom, analysed Instagram profiles of the professional dancers and marketing calculators to determine how influential this year’s cast of dancers are on social media.
- Dianne Buswell is the most influential professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing, potentially earning £3,355 per sponsored post on Instagram
- Gorka Marquez is the second most influential professional dancer
- Last year’s winner and The Masked Dancer UK judge, Oti Mabuse, is the third most influential professional
Sunday's dance off 'unnecessary'
Fans of the show have branded Dan's dance off on Sunday as "unnecessary".
One fan wrote: "Pro dance has too much flashing & strobe lighting …anyone who suffers from Migraines or fits or vertigo they are no no !!! #Strictly".
Another said: "Don’t know what this number is but I hate it. I miss the beautiful Ballroom and Latin pro dances".
A third chimed in saying: "I'd prefer some pro dances that are the dances from the programme, rather than pop dancing every week".
The celebs left in the competition
There are still four celebrities all dancing for that Glitterball trophy.
The stars that are left in the competition are:
- AJ Odudu
- John Whaite
- Rhys Stephenson
- Rose Ayling-Ellis
AJ & Kai set tongues wagging
The duo set tongues wagging that they were dating after a series of near kisses at the end of their routines.
Meanwhile AJ fans are all saying the same thing about AJ and Kai's dance-off routine after spotting a 'big change.'
They are debating whether the duo changed the lift after they had a disastrous stumble that left them in the bottom-two on Sunday night.
Fans are asking if AJ and Kai changed their perilous lift so they could sail through to the semi-finals – after they beat Dan Walker who got eliminated.
AJ was in tears after her near perfect performance went pair shaped after her legs got trapped around Kai's face during their energetic performance on Saturday.
During the dance-off eagle-eyed fans noticed the lift looked 'different' and quizzed whether they changed it to avoid any further mishaps.
One fan wrote: "So AJ and Kai managed to choreograph and execute a completely different lift in under 2 hours.
"If that's the case they definitely deserved to go through."
A ‘confirmed’ romance?
STRICTLY Come Dancing's AJ Odudu cosied up to Kai Widdrington after they 'confirmed' their romance.
The stunning TV presenter and the dapper pro dancer looked smitten as they left It Takes Two after making it through to the Strictly semi-finals.
AJ, 33, showed off her incredible figure in a tiny pair of purple leather shorts.
She braved the cold weather by going bare-legged in her outfit and stepped out in pink open-toed sandals.
AJ teamed her shorts with a multi-coloured top with butterflies emblazoned across it.
She looked fabulous with a big head of bouncy curls as she cosied up to her pro partner.
Kai, 26, looked smart in a classic beige suit that flattered his toned body.
He added a pop of colour wearing a blue tie as his romance with AJ was confirmed.
- Milica Cosic
John & Johannes on track to make Strictly history
Following Strictly Come Dancing's quarter final on Saturday night, body language expert Darren Stanton has analysed the remaining couples and who he thinks is set to win the entire competition, as well as which contestants the judges are favouring.
Speaking on behalf of Betfair Casino, Darren Stanton predicts that John Whaite and Johannes Radebe are on track to make history as Strictly's first ever winning same-sex couple, as the strong bond between the pair continues to 'reach new heights'.
Darren said: “These two go from strength to strength each week and it’s clear the level of connection between them continues to increase and get stronger.
"The non-verbal communication they displayed during this week’s dance, such as their intense eye contact and close interactions within each other’s proximity zones, suggests their bond has reached new heights – this was validated by both the audience and the judging panel’s response.
"John and Johannes are very much the contenders to be in the final, if not to win the entire competition.”
- Milica Cosic
Explained: Who has left Strictly so far?
Here's who has left the show so far:
- Week two: Nina Wadia and Neil Jones
- Week three: Katie McGlynn and Gorka Marquez
- Withdrawn: Robert Webb and Dianne Buswell
- Week four: Greg Wise and Karen Hauer
- Week five: Ugo Monye and Oti Mabuse
- Week six: Judi Love and Graziano di Prima
- Week seven: Adam Peaty and Katya Jones
- Week eight: Sara Davies and Aljaz Skorjanec
- Week nine: Tom Fletcher and Amy Dowden
- Week ten: Tilly Ramsay and Nikita Kuzmin
- Week eleven: Dan Walker and Nadiya Bychkova
Who was in the dance off over the weekend?
The votes saved John, Rhys and Rose – which meant it was the battle of Dan and AJ in the dance off.
Their performances were both improved, with all the judges remarking on their improvement.
But AJ made the biggest improvement after nailing the lift that had ended in disaster during the original routine.
Dan became the tenth celebrity to be eliminated as it was decided unanimously that AJ's dance-off performance was the best.
Strictly’s John Whaite 'in love with Johannes'
JOHN Whaite has confessed he understands how the Strictly 'curse' can happen after experiencing a romantic dance with pro Johannes Radebe.
The 32-year-old has opened up about his time on the BBC1 show, and said that he could see how couples competing on the show can grow close – with many relationships spilling off of the dancefloor in the past.
He said: "When we did the rumba, it was very romantic. It was very intimate and sensual. I felt like I loved Johannes.
"And I do love him to bits. You can see why the Strictly curse is a thing. You really can. You can see why people hook up."
Johannes agreed, adding: "Absolutely! All that time spent together dancing! You get to learn about somebody, and… you know, if you’re not in control some things happen, no? It’s human."
But John, who's been with partner Paul for 13 years, quickly added in the Radio Times Christmas issue: "Nothing's happened!"
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