Brian Cox explains why he turned down ‘Strictly Come Dancing’

Brendan Cole is the professional dancer known for his stint on Strictly Come Dancing, having been one of the most familiar faces on the show from 2004 to 2018. But his time on Strictly came to an end when he was shockingly let go after his contract was not renewed, leaving fans stunned. Like Anton Du Beke, Brendan had been a part of the show since it started in 2004 and was the first to be associated with the infamous 'Strictly Curse'.

Oti Mabuse has told fans 'now I know why' after sharing a gorgeous new snap of her family. The former Strictly Come Dancing star welcomed her first-born just weeks ago, as she shared the news with fans on Christmas Day.

Strictly Come Dancing pro, Aljaz Skorjanec, has shown his support for his wife Janette Manrara as she reflected on their "life-changing" year in an emotional and heartfelt statement. Following the Christmas festivities, Janette, 40, shared a genuine gratitude post, which included a video of herself talking, highlighting key moments of their incredible year which included welcoming their first baby together, Lyra Rose.

Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas has shared her experiences of terrible "bullying" in the dance industry that nearly ended her career before she joined the BBC show.The 63 year old head judge has been a key part of the star-studded judging panel since she joined the popular ballroom programme back in 2017. Despite her success on the show, it hasn't always been smooth sailing for Shirley, as she revealed on the It Can't Just Be Me podcast. Hosted by Channel 4 presenter Anna Richardson, Shirley opened up about the intense bullying she faced from colleagues at the height of her judging career.

Amanda Abbington "wasn't invited" to take part in the Strictly Come Dancing final, according to insiders, following her early exit from the competition. The actress, 51, appeared on the 2023 series of Strictly with professional dancer Giovanni Pernice, but she was forced to withdraw from the competition after five weeks due to "personal reasons", which she did not expand upon.

Amanda Abbington has confessed she's still heartbroken by her unexpected exit from Strictly Come Dancing.The actress, known for her role in Sherlock, was amongst twelve celeb contestants on season 21 of the popular BBC show, but left after just five weeks.The exact reasons for Amanda's surprise departure haven't been disclosed, with sources saying it was due to 'personal matters'. In the weeks following her sudden absence from the finale, Amanda opened up about her experience on the show and its unfortunate end. Strictly fans were upset when Amanda and her dance partner, Giovanni Pernice, didn't appear in week five due to "medical reasons".

Strictly Come Dancing's Graziano Di Prima has shared a sweet snap with his wife Giada Linda, after being apart for three months due to work commitments.The 29 year old dancer revealed he had flown back to Italy to reunite with his wife, 32, and they enjoyed a spa day together. In the photo, Graziano is seen giving Giada a kiss while they both wear white robes. He captioned the Instagram post: 'Special Day just for us.' The couple spent Christmas at their family home and looked very happy as they danced together in a video shared by Graziano.

Strictly Come Dancing's John Whaite had to unexpectedly step down from his current pantomime gig due to feeling unwell on the day of the highly-anticipated performance. Famed for his quickstep on the Strictly dance floor, John is currently part of the Cinderella cast performing in Bradford, but sadly he had to sit out his Thursday 28 December performance because of ill health, forcing an understudy to step into his shoes as Dandini. John took the time to share a dazzling snap of his co-star, professional actor William Elijah Lewis, over on Instagram Stories following the unfortunate news he wouldn't be able to perform.

Strictly Come Dancing's Bobby Brazier is in the middle of a 'secret feud' after it was noticed he's not following some co-stars on social media. Just one week on since the show's conclusion, eagle eyed fans noticed that the 20 year old actor from EastEnders didn't click follow for Les Dennis, Nikita Kanda, and Nigel Harman.

It's been a busy few months for professional dancer, Nikita Kuzmin, who just missed out on winning the iconic Glitterball trophy with his partner, Bad Education star Layton Williams, during this year's Strictly Come Dancing. However, since the grand final, the 25 year old has been enjoying some well-deserved down time with his girlfriend, as they both jetted off to Dubai for some winter sun just before Christmas.

Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola have issued a joint statement reflecting on their Strictly Come Dancing win just hours after they hit back at claims they are in a relationship. Posting on Vito's Instagram page, the duo wrote: "THANK YOU. We want to start by thanking all of you for the support, for the love and for leading us to lift the trophy of the most prestigious program in the world! Our gratitude is infinite and never enough.

A Strictly Come Dancing judge might be saying goodbye to the show next year. Anton Du Beke, the newest addition to the judging panel, could be leaving the BBC show in 2024 according to bookies' predictions. Ladbrokes has revealed that Anton is just 4/1 to be replaced on next year's series, reports The Mirror.The 57 year old joined the show as a new judge after Bruno Tonioli left in 2021 to focus on the US series Dancing with the Stars.

Another series of Strictly Come Dancing has come to an end, with Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola being crowned the winners of the hit BBC One show and taking home the Glitterball trophy. The grand final took place on Saturday, 16 December, with hosts Tess Daly, 54, and Claudia Winkleman, 51, announcing the results of the final public vote of the series, with Ellie, 22, and Vito, 31, beating both Layton Williams and Bobby Brazier to the top spot. The fun didn't stop there however, as the entire cast of Strictly reunited and headed off to celebrate Ellie and Vito's win, as well as the end of another successful series, at the BBC show's wrap party.

Strictly Come Dancing 2023 is officially over with Coronation Street's Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola deservedly took home the iconic Glitter Ball trophy. But a moment which really caught the attention of viewers was veteran judge Craig Revel Horwood's emotional moment.The 58 year old is renowned for his cutting judging technique and icy exterior - plus, his 19 year long run of barely showing any emotion.

Strictly Come Dancing's live final on Saturday night was a tearful affair, as the celebs and their pro dance partners got emotional while performing together for the final ever time. Bad Education's Layton Williams, Bobby Brazier from EastEnders, and Ellie Leach from Coronation Street were all competing for the Glitterball Trophy with their pro dance partners, as they danced their final routines of the series, hoping to wow the judges and viewers at home.

Ellie Leach took to the dance floor for the second time on Saturday evening (16 December) to perform her Show Dance to a Jennifer Lopez Megamix but things didn't go quite to plan. The former Coronation Street star suffered a blunder while performing the final the lift and she could be heard apologising to Vito at the end of the routine. She said: "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," as Vito wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the cheek.

Strictly Come Dancing's Giovanni Pernice has broken his silence after it was revealed that his dance partner, Amanda Abbington, wouldn't be joining him for the show's grand finale.The journey for the pair has been a bit bumpy, both on and off the dance floor. Despite their fiery performances winning over the audience, there were whispers of tension between the 33 year old Italian dancer and the 51 year old actress.

Strictly Come Dancing crowned Ellie Leach as the winner of this year's competition after fighting off competition from Layton Williams and Bobby Braier. As the viewers voted for their favourite dancers, the scores showed Layton and Nikita at the top of the leaderboard with a total of 119. They were closely followed by Bobby and Dianne who scored 117 while Ellie and Vito had a score of 115.

Amy Dowden has not been able to perform on Strictly Come Dancing this year as she underwent treatment for cancer. However, she reunited with her fellow professional dancers for an incredible opening routine in the final.The 33 year old joined finalists Nikita Kuzmin, Vito Coppola and Dianne Buswell, who are set to perform tonight with their respective celeb partners, Layton Williams, Ellie Leach and Bobby Brazier for a chance at winning the iconic Strictly glitter ball trophy. But it was Amy who made the grandest entry of all, looking stunning in a black and white maxi dress with a tulle skirt, black belt and a statement bow on the arm.

Bobby Brazier has made it all the way to the Strictly Come Dancing finals with the help of his professional dancing partner, Dianne Buswell. For the last few months, the 20 year old EastEnders actor has won the hearts of the Strictly judges and the nation, thanks to his top notch dancing skills, bubbly personality and cheeky smile.