Daily Mail

Can’t see you reading the news in that, Kate!

After storm over lack of top names ...

- By Faye White Showbusine­ss Reporter

FANS have been disappoint­ed by the lack of star power in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing line-up.

But the celebrity contestant­s did their best to put on a glitzy show at last night’s launch event in London.

BBC newsreader Kate Silverton beamed in a red and gold tasselled dress with a plunging neckline that showcased her cleavage.

Miss Silverton, 48, gave fans a preview of what they can expect as she showed off her best moves with fellow contestant, comedian Seann Walsh.

Walsh and Miss Silverton did the macarena and bumped their hips together on stage. Walsh, 32, wore a red metallic suit with a swirled pattern, a black shirt with rhinestone­s on the collar and black patent shoes.

Broadcaste­r and model Katie Piper looked glamorous in a short pink and gold number, with her blonde hair waved. Paralympic athlete Lauren Steadman chose a one-shouldered purple and silver dress with revealing cutouts.

And style guru Susannah Constantin­e cut a more glamorous figure on stage than she had

‘Make-up, hair, sequins, prancing, dancing’

shown to her Instagram followers yesterday morning. In a video, she wore no make-up and thick black glasses as she told fans she had been up at 6am because she has a deadline for her new novel.

Speaking about Strictly, she said: ‘What a dream that is. All the make-up, hair, sequins, prancing, dancing in our own way with all of my fabulous co- contestant­s.’ The 56-yearold TV presenter had scrubbed up well by the evening, stepping out on stage wearing an orange dress with a beaded bodice.

Also dressed to impress were contestant­s Steps star Faye Tozer, former Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts, Capital radio host Vick Hope and BBC documentar­y presenter Stacey Dooley. Judge Dame Darcey Bussell stunned in a long pink dress while Shirley Ballas wore a white halterneck dress with a sheer cape over the top embroidere­d with pearl-like beads. She completed the look with a pair of sparkly silver high heels.

Presenters Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly wore contrastin­g outfits, with Miss Winkleman in a black tailored suit and Miss Daly in a tight silver and black sequinned dress.

Despite criticism of this year’s line-up, judge Craig Revel Horwood defended the stars as ‘great’. And he said he thought the show would ‘eventually’ see samesex couples competing. ‘I think more and more people want it, the more it will happen,’ he said. ‘I have no argument against it. I think it would be rather fun. Maybe the BBC will be brave enough one day to do it.’

The launch programme will be broadcast on September 8 and the full series will return later that month.

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 ??  ?? Sparkling: Paralympic athlete Lauren Steadman shows her moves
Sparkling: Paralympic athlete Lauren Steadman shows her moves
 ??  ?? Bumping hips: Seann Walsh and Kate Silverton. Inset: Claudia Winkleman
Bumping hips: Seann Walsh and Kate Silverton. Inset: Claudia Winkleman
 ??  ?? Pretty in pink: TV presenter and model Katie Piper at last night’s launch show
Pretty in pink: TV presenter and model Katie Piper at last night’s launch show

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