Frank Bruno Keen To Dance

Frank Bruno would supposedly love to do Strictly Come Dancing.

A source close to the former boxer told the Radio Times: “Frank Bruno would love to do it. Firstly, he’s athletic. Secondly, he thinks he could do quite well in it and thirdly it’s great profile. The public would enjoy him on it – he’s a funny person."

This isn't much of a story. There are dozens of celebrities that "would love to do it". Sounds like a bit of PR generation to get his name back in the press. 

Oh look! It worked.

Trent: Anton's Move To Judging Panel Is "A Done Deal"

Former Strictly pro Trent Whiddon claims that Anton du Beke will be moving from the dancefloor to the judges' desk in 2017, replacing the departing Len Goodman.

Trent candidly told the Daily Mirror: "It isn’t official yet, but it may as well be – it’s long been virtually guaranteed that Anton will fill any gaps on the judging panel. He’s such a big part of the family and viewers love him, so BBC bosses know there’s no risk of it not working out. The time is right and it’s a done deal.”

Anton, or someone of his experience, seems like a good fit. They need to make sure there is a ballroom & latin-focused judge on there to raise the more technical points that Len would raise in order for the show to retain any kind of integrity.

More Strictly Pros!

The BBC have announced that three more new pros will join the Strictly line-up this autumn, taking the total up to 17.

Neil Jones, AJ Pritchard and Chloe Hewitt will now join the cast.

Neil Jones (above right)  has been a Strictly choreographer for some time. He has won many ballroom and latin titles during his career, alongside his wife Katya Jones, who also joins the show this year. Neil said: "I am so thrilled to be joining the cast of Strictly Come Dancing! As a British dancer I have grown up watching this amazing show, it is a massive honour and I am feeling pumped and excited to be part of the Strictly family."

AJ Pritchard (above left) is a competitive latin and ballroom dancer and a British Youth Open latin champion. AJ said: “Watch out Strictly, here I come, it is going to be amazing and I feel ecstatic!”

AJ's dance partner is Chloe Hewitt (above centre), making her also a British Youth Open latin champion. At 20, Chloe is the youngest Strictly pro ever. She was inspired to take up dancing after watching Strictly (yes, folks, it's been on that long!). Chloe said: “My childhood dream of being on Strictly Come Dancing is now reality! The sheer excitement is exhilarating and I cannot wait to be part of the Strictly family.”

AJ & Chloe reached the final of Britain's Got Talent in 2013.



One has to assume that not all 17 pros will be given a celebrity partner, and might only perform in group numbers as Joanne Clifton did last year. The series has never had more than 16 couples, and has settled at 15 for the past three years.

Lesley Joseph For Strictly?

Lesley Joseph has reportedly joined this year's Strictly competition. 

If the report in The Sun is true, she would be the oldest female contestant in the show's history.

A source told the paper: “Strictly bosses have wanted Lesley for years. She is determined not to just be the token older contestant.”

Lesley's Birds Of A Feather co-stars Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson would be delighted, I'm sure. Both are big fans of the show.

Lesley took part in Let's Dance For Sport Relief in 2010 alongside Linda, Jenny Eclair and Susie Blake, so you can get a sneak peek of her dancing skills and judge for yourself.

'Deadlock' For Strictly?

Could Strictly start using an X Factor-style 'deadlock' tiebreaker?

Speculation has been running rife since it was announced that head judge Len Goodman will be leaving the panel at the end of the upcoming series.

One suggestion is to take the 'deciding vote', which Len currently has in tied situations, away from the panel and turn it over to the public. If the judging panel are tied, the public vote would decide the winner.

A source told the Radio Times: "I would very much doubt that the new member of the panel would come in as Head Judge and have the final say. Darcey’s the most sensible out of all of them. Craig’s the harshest and Bruno – would he take it seriously? Out of those three you couldn’t help but think Darcey. But then Darcey hasn’t been in the show as long as the others... There's arguments for all of them."

The whole point of pooling the judges was avoid the 'John Sergeant Effect', where poor dancers were being voted through at the expense of those with more skill. But all that has really done is make viewers work even harder to save weaker dancers and keep them out of the bottom two altogether.

Deadlock is an interesting notion, and would expose the Jamelias - unpopular with the public but saved by the judges. But it could also lead to judges 'fence sitting', and forcing votes to deadlock so they do not look like the bad guy.

Congratulations, Ben & Kristina!

Kristina Rihanoff and her partner Ben Cohen have welcomed a baby girl into the world.

The news was confirmed in an official statement to Hello! last week: "Ben and Kristina are delighted to confirm they are the parents of a beautiful baby girl. They would like to thank friends and family for all their kind wishes at this happy time."

Len's Final Countdown

The BBC have announced that the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing will be Len Goodman's last.

Len, Bruno, Craig and Darcey are all returning for 2016 alongside hosts Tess and Claudia, but this will be the final year we'll hear "Seveeeeeeeen!" and "It's a 10 from Len".

Len said: “In 2004, I was asked to take part in a brand new BBC Saturday night show and who would have thought me, old Len Goodman, would still be part of this amazing series more than 10 years on. This adventure began when I was 60 and now that I’ve reached my 70s, I’ve decided after this year it’s time to hand the role of Head Judge to someone else. It is an honour being part of the wonderful Strictly Come Dancing family and I’m looking forward to my last series very much and to whatever comes next.”

The announcement has sparked speculation about the future make-up of the judging panel. Will he be replaced, or could we have a three-judge panel like Dancing With The Stars?

Several names have already been suggested, including Karen Hardy and Ian Waite, both of whom have regular analyist roles on It Takes Two, former pro Flavia Cacace, Camilla Sacre-Dallerup, who served as a judge on the Strictly live tour in 2015, and current pro Anton du Beke, who has been with the show since the beginning and may be looking to move into a non-competitive role.

I would hope that all of the names above are considered. Any replacement for Len must have a ballroom and latin background in order for the series to retain any level of integrity, which even with Len on the panel has been questionable in recent years.

Last series, in virtually every case, the dance-off result was decided before we got to Len's vote, and in most of those cases he said he agreed with his colleagues. Perhaps we need someone with some differing opinions.

Daisy, Daisy

Has Daisy, Daisy Lowe given her answer to Strictly producers?

According to the Daily Star Sunday, the model has said "Yes" to taking part in the next series.

A source said: “Daisy is a great signing – she’s one of the girls of the moment. Producers hope she will help give the show a new lease of life and attract some new younger viewers. She’s part of that trendy young Primrose Hill set and is quite edgy compared to a lot of those who normally sign up.”

And it appears that she's not wasting any time to get ready for the show: “The show doesn’t start for over two months but she has already started practicing. She’s taking it really seriously and wants to do well.”

Aliona Could Return As Choreographer

Aliona Vilani could return to Strictly as a choreographer.

Despite quitting the main show at the end of the last series, she has always expressed an interest in staying involved, and is now trying to formalise that with the producers.

A source told the Daily Mirror: “She is bored and really keen to get back on the show in some capacity. She is currently talking to show bosses about having a choreography role, and she is their number one dancer to turn to if someone has an injury."

Seeing Double?

Will we be seeing double when Strictly returns this autumn?

According to The Sun, it's a distinct possibility, as the producers are trying to sign up TV doctors, and identical twins, Xand and Chris Van Tulleken.

A source told the paper: "Over the years, Strictly have had contestants from pretty much every industry. But they’ve never signed up siblings, let alone twins. Chris and Xand are both intelligent, charismatic guys who the audience are sure to warm to. And watching how they compete would be fascinating. Chris is quite on board with the idea, but Xand still needs to be persuaded. So now they are really pulling out the stops to convince him to go ahead.”

I don't know anything about the Van Tullekens and I've never seen them on TV. But the idea of having identical twins on the show is an interesting one. Are identical twins really as similar as everyone thinks?

And who could resist a partner-swap bit on ITT...?

Rumour Has It...

Oh my gosh! So many Strictly Come Dancing rumours. I feel that there may be too many for one post, but I'm going to attempt it anyway...

The Daily Star reports that Will Young is being courted. A source told the paper: “Will is a brilliant signing for us. He is extremely popular, he is a true professional, he can be quite competitive and he is no shrinking violet. He famously put Simon Cowell in his place on Pop Idol when he slated his performance and called it “average”. So we cannot imagine he will hold his tongue when facing the wrath of judge Craig Revel Horwood.”

Will has been a musical guest multiple times. It would be great to see him be part of the show. I think he'd take it very seriously.

Another past muscial guest, Anastacia, is also rumoured to be taking part. A source told The Sun: “Anastacia is on tour at the moment but she is incredibly excited about appearing on Strictly in a few months’ time. BBC bosses are also very pleased to have her on board, as they are sure the British public will really warm to her.”

Anastacia is very charismatic, and as a singer, should have a good sense of timing.

The Sun makes it sound as though Louise Redknapp is a done deal. A source said: “Louise has been top of the Strictly hit list for years. She’s a huge star and they feel she will bring class and glamour. They’re absolutely thrilled they’ve finally got her.”

Louise is no stranger to performing after her years in Eternal. She could be a good choice.

The Sun also reports that TV presenter Laura Whitmore has been signed. A source told the paper: “Laura loves the show and is partial to dance on a night out so Strictly is a great fit.”

I'm not so convinced that Laura is a done deal based on this comment.

The Sun's smug showbiz reporter Dan Wooten claims that Judge Rinder, or Robert to his friends, has signed up. Though I'm surprised anyone is willing to talk to, a source apparently said: “Anybody who has watched Judge Rinder will know that he is going to be a brilliant match for Craig. Producers hope they will go for each other and are predicting that new viewers will tune in just to see them go head-to-head. We don’t know whether he can dance or has a background in it, but we know he certainly is entertaining."