Strictly Come Dancing Line-Up 2007: My Initial Thoughts

I'm still getting my head around the pairings, and still working out who a couple of them actually are... But here are my first impressions:

John Barnes and Nicole Cutler

I imagine that John will tower over Nicole, but I'm probably wrong. I'm told that Nicole is very excited about John. Being a sportsman, he won't be afraid of training. I heard on the radio yesterday that he would like to lose about 2 stone during training. And they are so cute together in their publicity photo.

Brian Capron and Karen Hardy

Brian is a bit of mystery to me. I know he was in Corrie, but I don't watch that. But like all participants, I'm sure I'll build an opinion about him as time goes on. Karen has done a great job on SCD in past series, so I'm sure he'll be safe with her.

Matt Di'Angelo and Flavia Cacace

Matt is another one that I know little about. I don't watch EastEnders either! Matt will be a great match for Flavia, and we'll finally get to see what she is capable of after her early exit last year. They could be ones to watch.

Gethin Jones and Camilla Dallerup

Guess what? I don't watch Blue Peter!! I hear that Camilla is quite excited about this pairing. There were a lot of untimely exits last year, and Ray & Camilla were victims of that. Camilla is still bathing in the glow of Eurovision. She's a good teacher and Gathrin should have a great time.

Kenny Logan and Ola Jordan

The first half of our couple-off. I love that they have put two married couples against each other. Claudia is going to have fun! Like Camilla, Spoony & Ola made an untimely exit from last year's series. Kenny, being a sportsman, should have the drive to succeed. And being from Wasps, Kenny is used to success.

Dominic Littlewood and Lilia Kopylova

This is going to be such a fun pairing. Dominic has bags of personality. He's a proper cheeky chappie, and I think he'll have fun with it. Lilia is fantastically adaptable and has got the best out of every partner she has had. She's a clever choreographer and will produce routines that compliment Dom's strengths. Lilia has a fantastic Strictly track record, always being in toward the end of the competition. Can she repeat that success with Dom? Perhaps...

Willie Thorne and Erin Boag

Erin is a patient teacher, and like Lilia, easily adapts her training style to suit her partner. I believe that Willie will be a dedicated guy who will work very hard. He may have similar posture issues to Dennis Taylor in 2005, having spent his career bending over snooker tables.

Stephanie Beacham and Vincent Simone

Stephanie is going to be a very different participant than Louisa Lytton, but I'm sure Vincent can bring the best out of her. Stephanie is hearing impaired, although I'm certain that she'll want the audience to forget about that. A quick Google search turned up an Independent interview, in which she said: "I only have 40 per cent hearing and have never been able to bear that hearing-impaired people appear clumsy".

Kelly Brook and Brendan Cole

This partnership was the worst-kept secret in SCD history. I would imagine Brendan is a pretty happy bunny. Kelly is young, attractive and eager, and I doubt they will clash.

Letitia Dean and Darren Bennett

Letitia is a Sylvia Young brat, which means she would have had some dance training at school. Though not quite dancing, you can see that Letitia has a sense of rhythm in this clip. I think she and Darren should gel quite well.

Alesha Dixon and Matthew Cutler

Alesha should be a good match for Matthew. Alesha is this year's only participant with a musical background. The pair look great together, and should create beautiful lines. I think Matt could take her further through the competition than Carol last year.

Kate Garraway and Anton Du Beke

Kate is fun and I think she'll be up for it. She has a very young daughter, and with her GMTV schedule, I hope she can put enough training hours in. I think she is the right match for Anton. They should get on like a house on fire. I think she could surprise a few people. I don't like the phrase 'dark horse' anymore, but Kate could be it.

Penny Lancaster-Stewart and Ian Waite

I'm sure Ian will be pleased with this pairing. Penny is so keen, she recently paid to dance with Brendan at a charity auction. Like Alesha & Matthew, they are an elegant couple. I'm sure there will be inevitable comparisons between Penny and Dancing With The Stars participant Rachel Hunter. Penny is a model, so it will be interesting to see if she can unleash her inner performer.

Gabby Logan and James Jordan

The other half of the SCD couple-off. I imagine that Gabby could well be far more competitive than her rugby-player husband, and James is one of Strictly's most driven professionals. It was reported that Gabby's ITV bosses vetoed her appearance last series, so she's had over a year to build up her desire to win. Can she translate that into dance moves?

So there we have it. Another 14 celebrities ready to be put through their paces, and 7 million viewers just itching for 6th October to come around.

I shall be posting my thoughts throughout the competition once again, and keeping you updated on all the Strictly news and gossip.

There are other blogs that cover the show, but this is the original. Thanks for reading!