Strictly veterans pick this years favourites
● BBC competition set to showcase same-sex partners for the first time
Strictly Come Dancing 2012 winner Louis Smith has predicted former Pussycat Dolls star Ashley Roberts will reach this year’s final, while Youtuber Joe Sugg may struggle.
The Olympic gymnast is set to tour the UK for two months with 2011 champion Harry Judd and 2017 contestant Aston Merrygold in a new 1960s inspired dance show called Rip It Up.
When the trio were asked who they were backing to do well in the new series of the BBC dancing competition, Smith said: “I can tell you who is going to be in the final – Ashley. She is going to be amazing to watch.
“I don’t think the Youtuber is going to do too great. I think he is so far disconnected from dancing.
“He might be a dark horse, I could be wrong, but he will be against actors, pop stars and people from that industry who have had stage school training and have some level of singing and dancing.”
Smith’s predictions came with Strictly Come Dancing to reportedly feature same-sex professional pairings for the first time in its 14-year history.
0 The line-up for the latest series of Strictly Come Dancing has been drip fed in recent days, with the full line-up revealed yesterday
Long-time Strictly dancer Pasha Kovalev is believed to be partnering with AJ Pritchard for some of this year’s routines.
Fellow professional dancer Karen Clifton is also expected to perform with a female partner for several dances.
But the hugely-popular BBC competition will stick with convention for its celebrities, who will be put into mixed pairings as per the show’s traditional format. Mcfly drummer Judd admitted his performance background may have given him some advantage over his competitors.
But he said previous experience could count against contestants while learning the show’s different styles of dance.
Judd said: “I don’t think there has been anyone who has been on the show that has done ballroom and Latin dancing beforehand. So yes, maybe I did have an advantage over some people because I understood musicality and timing.
“Yes, Aston may have had an advantage over some people because he had danced before.
“And Louis same thing, he has the discipline of learning the same routine and body
movements. But by the same token, ballroom is a world away from commercial hiphop dancing.
“Actually a lot of the pros will find it a disadvantage. They would rather work with
a clean slate. You’re maybe better off with someone who has potential that has never danced before.”
Judd’s advice coincided with the first release of a promotional photo showcasing all 15 celebrities taking part in this year’s series. The contestants include cricketer Graeme Swann, Blue singer Lee Ryan and campaigner Katie Piper.