… and we introduce you to the new dancers joining the hit show’s line-up
‘It’s really exciting to welcome the new dancers — they bring new energy and ideas’ Karen Hauer
Hot on the heels of Strictly Come Dancing’s Anton Du Beke waltzing over to the judging panel, Janette Manrara taking a new role as presenter on spin-off show It Takes Two
and Karen Hauer being crowned longestrunning professional, the TV’s best- loved ballroom has made another big announcement: the arrival of four fab-u-lous new dancers.
The dazzling world-class quartet, who hail from South Africa, Ukraine, Poland and the UK, are destined to become household names – but already have some pretty impressive CVs.
The newest female dancer, 26-year-old Jowita Przystal, can even boast having two-time Strictly
winner Oti Mabuse as a mentor. Jowita won BBC1’s The Greatest Dancer with her partner in dance and in life, Michael Danilczuk, in 2020, when Oti was a judge; the prize was a guest spot on Strictly. “No words can describe how I feel right now,” she says. Oti was the first to start the celebrations, sharing a clip on Instagram of her singing and dancing with Jowita, captioning it: “She got the call from @bbcstrictly and when your friends Win!!!! YOU CELEBRATE THEM ‘If you can dream it, you can achieve it’.”
STEP CHANGE
Two of the new class of 2021 started with different careers in mind. Southampton-born
Kai Widdrington, 25, “can’t wait to step onto the Strictly floor”, but was ready to follow in his footballer father Tommy’s footsteps until he caught the dancing bug aged nine, going on to become world junior Latin American champion in 2010 at the age of 14.
Meanwhile 23-year-old Nikita Kuzmin’s initial dream was to excel in karate, like his hero Jackie Chan. Born in Ukraine, his family moved to Italy aged nine to support his sister’s dancing career. After almost a decade there, he was the one with six Italian Latin and ballroom champion’s medals. “Joining as a professional dancer is my big chance to make some magic on the most famous dancefloor. I can’t wait to give it my all,” he says.
Also joining is 20-year-old Cameron Lombard, South Africa’s Got Talent 2012 finalist and reigning South African Latin champion. “Not only is this a dream come true but a challenge I am accepting with both hands,” he says.
As the Strictly family prepare to join them in rehearsals, Karen tells hello!: “It’s really exciting to welcome the new dancers – they bring new energy and ideas. They help build the standard of the show and keep things fresh and fun. I can’t wait to work with all of them.”