Strictly Come Dancing Series 24 Kicks Off with New Hosts and Pairings

The 24th series of Strictly Come Dancing premiered on Saturday night, introducing 15 new celebrity contestants and their professional dance partners. The launch show also featured a new hosting trio: Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe, and Johannes Radebe.

Among the revealed pairings, Dani Dyer returns to the ballroom after an ankle injury forced her to withdraw early in the previous series. She has been reunited with her professional partner Nikita Kuzmin. Another notable pairing is Bethany Antonia, known for her role in "House of the Dragon," who will dance with Nancy Xu. Antonia had specifically requested a female partner, inspired by the 2020 pairing of Nicola Adams and Katya Jones.

Other celebrity-pro pairings announced include.

• Love Island star Cach Mercer with newcomer Maddie Ingoldsby.
• Celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton with veteran pro Amy Dowden.
• Australian singer Delta Goodrem with Kai Widdrington.
• Dog trainer Graeme Hall with Lauren Oakley.
• Actress Jaime Winstone with Carlos Gu.
• Sports YouTuber John Nellis with Katya Jones.
• EastEnders actress Lacey Turner with Vito Coppola.
• Emmerdale actor Lawrence Robb with Jowita Przystał.
• Gavin & Stacey star Melanie Walters with Aljaž Škorjanec.
• Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey with Julian Caillon.
• Former footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips with Alexis Warr.
• British skeleton racer Tabby Stoecker with new pro Mark Karmalita.
• Presenter Will Best with Dianne Buswell.

Some professional dancers, including Neil Jones, were left without celebrity partners for the series. Jones, who joined the show in 2016, has not been assigned a partner for seven of his ten years on the competition. He will join other professional dancers as a reserve.

The launch show's new host, Josh Widdicombe, recently spoke about the demanding filming schedule, mentioning he felt unwell after recording the launch episode.

The first live show of Strictly Come Dancing Series 24 is scheduled for Saturday, September 26.