Shirley Ballas, the head judge of Strictly Come Dancing, posted a behind-the-scenes photo on Instagram on Monday showing her in a rose-gold satin robe and teasing the show's upcoming launch. In the Instagram Story she wrote: “Two more sleeps then we record launch show @bbcstrictly so exciting are you excited?”
In the image Ballas, 64, posed with a navy velour belt cinched at the waist, feathered cuffs and silver-embellished dancing heels, her hair styled in soft curls and topped with a pink floral headpiece. The post was shared as the BBC released the first trailer for the new series, which previews a poolside routine featuring the show's professional dancers and judges.
The 30-second trailer shows a colourful pool party set in the grounds of a mansion, with inflatable flamingos and bright swimwear leading into a choreographed sequence. The clip includes appearances from judges Anton du Beke, Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse, and introduces new professional dancers Alexis Warr and Julian Caillon. The Launch Show, which will air on Sept. 20, will reveal this year’s 15 celebrity contestants and their pro partners and will feature a group performance with all pairs on the floor for the first time.
Producers have stressed that they will monitor contestants’ health throughout the series, after media reports said some celebrities may have been using injectable weight-loss drugs before filming. The Sun reported that there is "talk ... backstage" about contestants using medications such as Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy. Those drugs belong to a class called GLP-1 agonists, originally developed to treat diabetes, which can reduce appetite by mimicking a hormone that signals fullness.
An insider quoted by The Sun said the BBC would follow its usual health protocols and monitor contestants while they are on the show, adding that producers would act "immediately" if anyone appeared unwell. The quote noted that production has limited ability to intervene over prescribed medications because contestants are not obliged to disclose them.
Contestants on Strictly typically face a demanding schedule of rehearsals that can run five days a week for long stretches, and past series have seen celebrities lose weight through the physical work alone. Producers have said health and safety remain priorities during training and filming, and the launch show marks the start of a series of weekly episodes in which BBC staff will continue to oversee the well-being of the cast and crew as the competition progresses.