READY TO RUMBA
The Strictly Come Dancing Glitterball trophy is once again being dusted down as the BBC’s hit show returns for its 19th series. The class of 2021 has now been revealed, with McFly singer Tom Fletcher, Olympic champion Adam Peaty, presenter AJ Odudu, TV chef Gordon Ramsay’s TikTok-star daughter Tilly and Dragon’s Den entrepreneur Sara Davies among the twinkle-toed stars hoping to bring their best moves to the ballroom. Excitement – and nerves – are reaching fever pitch as they eagerly wait to be paired with their professional dance partners on next month’s launch show. There are lots of new treats in store for fans, too, with The Great British Bake Off 2012 champion John Whaite forming one half of Strictly’s first ever all-male partnership and actress Rose Ayling-Ellis becoming its first deaf contestant. But who will sparkle all the way and follow in the finely tuned footsteps of last year’s champion Bill Bailey? We asked hello! columnists and former professional dancers on the show James and Ola Jordan (above left, with baby Ella) to give their expert verdict on who they think will be Strictly the best…
GREG WISE
There’ll be Oscar- worthy support for Greg in the form of his actress wife Dame Emma Thompson. The 55-yearold actor, writer and producer is doing Strictly in memory of his “disco queen” sister Claire, who died of cancer five years ago, aged 51. “This is for her,” he said. “I will channel her, as her bro can’t dance.”
James and Ola say: We don’t know much about him, but the beauty of Strictly is it gives you a chance to get to know these people. He’s an actor, so he’ll probably be able to sell it. It helps that he’s got an extremely famous wife who might come and sit in the front row!
TILLY RAMSAY
Chef Gordon’s 19-year-old daughter Tilly will have a lot on her plate, as she starts university at the same time as her Strictly training begins in September. A cook and influencer, who shares videos of herself and her dad with her TikTok followers, she’ll be one of the show’s youngest contestants, following 18- year- old gymnast Claudia Fragapane in 2016 and 17-year-old actress Louisa Lytton in 2006.
James and Ola say: We hope she’s as fiery as her dad! We can see she’s got rhythm already from her TikTok dances. We think she will bring energy to the dancefloor and she’ll want to work hard. It’s a big plus when you’re young – Strictly is tiring!
NINA WADIA
Mumbai-born Nina, 52, is best known for playing Zainab Masood on BBC soap
EastEnders as well as starring in the BBC2 sketch show Goodness Gracious Me. And she says there could be less drama and more laughs when it comes to her dancing. “I don’t even mind if people laugh at me – I just want people to laugh!”
James and Ola say: She was a big character in EastEnders and we think she’ll be very fun. She’s a bubbly character and we think she will love the show. It’s good that she’s not in the soap any more because when the celebrities have a gruelling filming schedule, doing Strictly can burn you out.
RHYS STEPHENSON
Actor and children’s TV presenter Rhys, 27, who has hosted shows including Blue Peter and Saturday Mash- Up!, knows learning to dance isn’t child’s play, but he’s prepared for the challenge. “I want it all, the sequins, the costumes, Craig’s glare, BRING IT,” he wrote on Instagram.
James and Ola say: He looks young and fun and like he’s got loads of energy. We think he’ll be like a little whippet! We think he’s going tob every good.Ka rim Zeroual, who took part in 2019 with Amy Dowden, was also a CBBC presenter and he was amazing. He got all the way to the final.
AJ ODUDU
Blackburn-born TV presenter AJ, 33, who has worked on shows such as The Voice and Big Brother’s Bit on the Side,
is earning major brownie points with her superfan mum Florence by being on the show. “I can’t tell you how much my mum and I love watching the show,” she said. “I’ve got seven siblings – and [ doing Strictly] is favourite-child-status vibes.”
James and Ola say: I think she’s going to be one of the good ones. She’s young, she’s beautiful and she will look amazing on the dancefloor in the costumes even if she can’t dance – which is always a good start!
‘It’s hard to tell until you see the celebrities dance whether they’re going to be good or bad’
KATIE McGLYNN
Swapping the cobbles for sparkling costumes, former Coronation Street star Katie is looking forward to letting her hair down after tackling some challenging storylines when her character Sinead had cancer. “I’m going to give it 110%,” said the actress, 28. “As long as I don’t fall over, I’ll be happy.” James and Ola say:
We think she will be good. As an actress, she’ll be able to get into the characters of the dance. When you’re doing a rumba, you have to act as if you’re in love with the other person and want to rip their clothes off – she’s going to be able to do that.
JOHN WHAITE
After winning The Great British Bake Off in 2012, 33-year-old TV cook and author John is ready to rise to the occasion and make Strictly history as one half of the first all-male partnership to compete for the Glitterball, following on from the first all-female pair last year. “Whoever it is I’m paired with, I hope they are up for a challenge, as I want our routines to include lots of spectacular lifts,” he said. James and Ola say:
Just by looking at him, we think John is going to be amazing. We’re excited to see who they pair him with and what they do. We think John is going to be one to watch – whoever he’s paired with.
SARA DAVIES
As an entrepreneur and craft queen, mum-of-two Sara, 37, who joined the panel of Dragon’s Den in 2019, will be bringing her creative streak to Strictly, as well as the grit and determination she’s learnt in the business world. James and Ola say:
We’re not saying she’s necessarily going to be great – she’s used to sitting in a chair on Dragon’s Den – but we’re excited to see her do it because her fellow Dragon Deborah Meaden did it and she had the time of her life. As dancers, when we see someone love what we do that much, we don’t care if they’re the best. We think she’ll throw herself into it completely.
JUDI LOVE
Loose Women star Judi, 41, already has a fan club of her fellow panellists including Nadia Sawalha and Katie Piper ready to cheer her on. The TV personality, who has appeared on everything from 8 Out of 10 Cats to Celebrity MasterChef and The Ranganation, is also a stand-up comedian, so will no doubt be up for a laugh on the dancefloor. “I’m soooo nervous but excited at the same time!!” she said.
James and Ola say: Judi is going to love this experience. We don’t think she’ll be the best dancer, but we think she’s going to be the people’s dancer. We predict she’ll be one of those contestants who goes on a real journey and improves over the weeks.
DAN WALKER
More used to the BBC Breakfast sofa than the dancefloor, 44-year-old Dan is hoping to impress his three children with his moves. “My kids have only ever asked me to go on two shows – Saturday Mash-Up! and Strictly,” he said. “It’s time to embrace the sequins.” James and Ola say:
We’re really excited about Dan. He’s very tall and generally tall people struggle because it’s harder to control your body. But he’s sporty, so maybe he’ll go against the grain. Like Ola’s former partner Chris Hollins, he gets up at 3am for breakfast TV. Chris always came to training with a smile, but not everyone is like that!
UGO MONYE
Sports pundit and former England rugby union star Ugo, 38, will be hoping to make his young children proud by scoring some tens. “My two beautiful daughters never had a chance to see me on the rugby pitch, so to know they can watch me waltzing and twirling every week is really special,” he said. James and Ola say:
Sportspeople are great at not
letting nerves affect their performance; it gives them an edge. Ugo is used to smashing into people in rugby, now he has to be soft and graceful. He might find it hard, but we think he’ll fall in love with dancing like most people do.
ROSE AYLING-ELLIS
Best known for playing Frankie Lewis on EastEnders, TV and stage actress Rose, 26, is excited to be the first deaf person to compete in Strictly – although she admits to being a little scared, too. “I hope I will do the deaf community proud and break down more barriers,” she said. James and Ola say:
It is brilliant that Rose is in the lineup. Dancing [ as a deaf person] is very doable. She’s going to be so aware of what is around her. It might be harder for her musically, but as teachers ourselves, we think it will be a great challenge for whoever Rose is partnered with. We can’t wait to see what they do.
ROBERT WEBB
He’s used to making people laugh, and it seems comedian and Peep Show star Robert, 48, isn’t planning on changing that when he gets on the dancefloor. “I can’t wait to get packed into a spandex onesie and fired from a glitter cannon directly at Claudia Winkleman,” he said. James and Ola say:
It’s hard to tell until you see the celebrities dance whether they’re going to be good or bad. We actually think Robert will be good. He might have had some dance training; most actors do. We think he’ll get into the character of it. He’s a comedian so he’s got entertainment value, too.
ADAM PEATY
Fresh from winning two gold medals in Tokyo, swimming champion Adam isn’t content with making history by becoming the first British swimmer to defend an Olympic title: he’s taking on Strictly, too. “I’m really looking forward to challenging myself away from the pool,” said the 26-year-old star.
James and Ola say: Adam is a fantastic addition and it’s brilliant he’s doing it off the back of the Olympics. He’s going to know how to train – plus he’s a bit of eye candy! He’s definitely going to get his chest out at some point. [ And James adds]: I would do every dance with my shirt off if I looked like him!
TOM FLETCHER
Father-of-three McFly star Tom, 36, is looking forward to adding “some new moves to my embarrassing dad- dancing repertoire”. With I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! 2020 winner Giovanna as his wife, and bandmate and Strictly 2011 champion Harry Judd on hand, the singer will have no shortage of advice to help him foxtrot to the final.
James and Ola say: He’s always going to be compared with Harry. He’s got big shoes to fill. We think he’ll be very good – will he be as good as Harry?
We don’t know. Tom seems like a lovely guy. On paper, he’s one of the best men in the line-up.
To hear more from James and Ola, check out their online column at hellomagazine.com.