Strictly speaking, out of them all, this has been my favourite series
I don’t know if I’m allowed to say this, but 2021 has been my favourite year.
After yet another turbulent 12 months, Strictly has brought sparkle and joy to Saturday nights. Each episode provided a couple of hours where fans could sit down, forget about everything going on in the world, and be totally entertained and mesmerised by the incredible talent both on and off screen.
The standard of dancing has been unlike anything we’ve ever seen before, and everyone completely deserves their place in the final. I know it sounds corny, but they are all winners. It’s just the cherry on top of the cake for whoever does get to lift the glitterball trophy.
My favourite moment of every series is the opening dance in the launch show, when you see the pros and celebs dancing for the very first time. There’s no excitement quite like it – not to mention shock and nerves – and when you reflect back after seeing the contestants dance in future weeks, you can see how far they’ve come.
When you think of Tilly Ramsay, for example, in that opening dance, she’s so petrified. Whereas, a few weeks later, she’s transformed into the most unbelievable, beautiful, graceful dancer who’s getting scores of 40.
You watch the contestants and professionals on that dance floor, while they’re having the time of their lives, but they have no idea, and we have no idea, what’s about to happen next.
My favourite dance from this series would be Rose and Giovanni’s Couple’s Choice to Symphony by Clean Bandit, which they performed in week eight. Midway through the routine, the music was cut and the couple danced in silence. For those few seconds, the nation could understand what life was like for Rose, the first deaf contestant in the show’s history. I love that they did the routine as a celebration, and it was the most moving moment. I also loved Judi Love’s Samba in week two, which saw her do a now famous twerk to the song Get Busy by Sean Paul. The clip went viral and the singer actually sent her a surprise video message the next week! Judi just sums up the joy of Strictly – you don’t have to get the best scores or be technically the best dancer. Sometimes it’s just about going for it, having fun and, well, showing the world your twerking.