Luba Benched?

Neil Jones will reportedly have a partner again in 2021, after sitting out last year, but Luba will be on the pro bench.

The Sun reports that Luba will only be part of the pro routines this year. There is no source for this information, and the BBC have not made any comment.

Looking at this more closely, there will be eight male and seven female pros participating with partners in 2021, and there are nine pros of each gender in the team. That means two female pros and one male pro will sit out this year's competition. With three new male pros in the lineup, it means that at least two of them will get partners. I would expect to see Nancy with a celebrity this year as she has not had one yet. If the Luba report is true, it will be interesting to see if Jowita will have to wait until next year, or if another of the existing team will sit out.