Strictly's Giovanni Pernice strips completely naked on 33rd birthday alongside Anton Du Beke

It looks like Strictly saved the best until last as Casualty's Nigel Harman topped the Strictly leaderboard with Bobby Brazier, Ellie Leach and Layton Williams close behind. Strictly Come Dancing kicked off with a bang on Saturday night, 23 September, as 15 brand new celebs prepared to battle it out on the dancefloor for the first time in the series.The show opened with a dramatic performance by the professional dancers performing at a scenic, coastal viewpoint before the scene moved to the Strictly dance floor where the rest of the professionals joined the performance.

Strictly Come Dancing star Bobby Brazier left his proud father in tears after his very first performance in his Saturday night debut.The 20-year-old EastEnders actor took to the floor with his pro dancer, Dianne Buswell to perform the Foxtrot. Following their dance to McFly’s ‘It’s All About You’, the judges were left very impressed. Craig Revel Horwood praised Bobby for his “frame” and “storytelling”’.

Amy Dowden sent a sweet message of support to her Strictly Come Dancing co-stars as she is unable to take part in the series following her cancer diagnosis.

Amanda Abbington has issued a statement insisting everything is "all good" between her and Giovanni Pernice ahead of the first Strictly Come Dancing live show.

Beyond the glitter and glitz, Strictly Come Dancing has seen its fair share of off-screen drama, reminding us that behind the scenes, not everything sparkles as brightly as it does on the dancefloor. As well as the sequins and fancy footwork, there's been a less shiny side to the show, including backstage feuds and unhappy partnerships.

Strictly Come Dancing contestant Amanda Abbington has hit back following claims she nearly quit the show due to alleged rows with her professional partner Giovanni Pernice. The actress posted a video on Instagram on Saturday morning, hours before the live show is due to air on BBC One.

Strictly Come Dancing celeb Amanda Abbington has hit out at claims that she nearly quit the BBC show after alleged rows with her professional dancing partner Giovanni Pernice. It had been reported that Amanda, who will be taking to the dance floor for the first time on Saturday, 23 September, threatened to quit before the first live show of the new series.Taking to Instagram to put the claims to bed, Amanda insisted things were “all good” between the pair and that she was “very excited and very, very nervous, but it’s all fun”.

Strictly Come Dancing pro, Giovanni Pernice, has broken his silence amid claims that he and his dancing partner, actress Amanda Abbington have not been seeing eye to eye. It had been reported that the Sherlock star threatened to quit before the first live show of the new series.

Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke is a bonafide show original, having starred on it as a pro dancer since its conception in 2004.The 57 year old is the only professional dancer to appear in every Strictly series so far - before moving to the judging panel in 2021, for its 19th season. But life for Anton wasn't always quite so glamorous, as he recalled once working at a bakers at the age of 21, whilst dancing on the evenings and doing events. Here's what Anton had to say as Strictly struts its way back to our television screens...

Strictly Come Dancing burst back onto our screens on Saturday night as this year's celebrities made their debuts with their dancing partner, but there's already been a savage prediction made by fans. Among the likes of Love Island star, Zara McDermott, EastEnders actor Bobby Brazier and TV presenter Annabel Croft are the talented professional dancers hoping to help their partner take home this year's Glitterball trophy. The BBC One show returned on Saturday, 16 September for its pre-recorded launch show where we found out the partners and got our first glimpse of their moves.

The long-awaited moment finally arrived when Strictly Come Dancing fans found out who their favourite celebs were paired with as they battled it out on the dance floor in the opening show of the series. As well as revealing who the celebrities are paired with, Strictly opened with a dramatic performance from the fabulous professional dancers, who also performed alongside the Judges in an eye-catching routine, like never before seen on the show.The first dancing duo to be revealed was Amanda Abbington who was paired with her professional dancing partner Giovanni Pernice.

Fifteen hopeful celebrities have already been hard at work in training and will soon be dancing to millions on primetime Saturday night TV in a bid to become the latest Strictly Come Dancing champion. The popular BBC One dance contest is back with its launch show on Saturday, September 16.

The latest series of Strictly Come Dancing is to return to our screens - and it is now in its 21st series. The show, which first started in 2004, has seen plenty of drama on and off the dancefloor as hundreds of celebrities have taken part in the popular BBC One show.

The 2023 series of Strictly Come Dancing is just around the corner, with the new season scheduled to launch of BBC One on Saturday 16 September. A new set of celebrities are set to take to the iconic dance floor on the hit BBC One show, including Bobby Brazier, Les Dennis, Ellie Leach and Angela Scanlon. This year's pairings are yet to be revealed, with Strictly bosses being careful to keep them under wraps until the launch show.

As a much-loved Strictly professional Luba Mushtuk has made a name for herself in the world of dance and entertainment. Luba's journey in the competitive dance world has been marked by significant achievements. She has clinched victory in the Italian Dance Championship not once, but an impressive four times.

We can't even mention Strictly Come Dancing without bursting into a chorus of 'Da-da-da-da-da-da-daah' and the show's earworm of a theme tune will officially be back in our lives from this Saturday night (September 16) right up until Christmas.

Strictly Come Dancing's judges wil go up “against each other” to do a big dance number alongside the professionals, a sneak peek has revealed. Dressed in black, judges Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse show the contestants what they are looking for as the celebrity dancing show returns to TV on Saturday, 16 September.

Prince Harry is “more relaxed” and “a completely different person” since his move to the US with Meghan Markle, a body language expert said. The Duke of Sussex, who was celebrating his 39th birthday on Friday, has “reconnected with himself” and has found a “sense of peace” since he and the Duchess, 42, stepped back from senior royal duties in 2020 and left the UK, Darren Stanton added.The body language expert, analysing Harry’s demeanour since the release of his tell-all memoir Spare, said the Prince was “genuinely happy” despite “breaking the mould” to become an “outspoken” Royal.

The new stars of Strictly have offered a glimpse behind the scenes as the show counts down to its first episode. One of this year's celebrity contestants, Angela Scanlon, revealed she was filming at the BBC show's studios in Elstree and described it as "wild times with the best gang".

Giovanni Pernice has stunned his fans by stripping off with his Strictly Come Dancing co-star as he shared some exciting news. The dancer decided to mark his birthday by sharing the surprising snap alongside 'best friend' Anton Du Beke and fans were extra thrilled to find out what it was all in aid of.