Glitterballs at the ready. Strictly Come Dancing is back for 2026, bringing another series of spectacular routines, dramatic dance-offs, sequins, samba and plenty of surprises.

This year sees 15 celebrities take to the famous Strictly dancefloor, from soap stars and sporting legends to TV presenters, musicians and reality stars.

And there are plenty of changes to get excited about, too. Strictly has a brand-new presenting trio, five new professional dancers and a new host for Strictly: It Takes Two.

We’re also teaming up with former Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Ola Jordan for the third year running, as she shares her expert insight throughout the competition, including her thoughts on which celebrities could make it all the way to the final.

So, whether you’re a Strictly superfan or simply want to know who is taking part this year, here’s everything you need to know about Strictly Come Dancing 2026.

When Does Strictly Come Dancing 2026 Start?

Strictly Come Dancing 2026 returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday 19 September at 7:25pm.

The launch show will see this year’s 15 celebrities take to the Strictly ballroom for the first time, as they discover who they’ll be partnered with for the series.

The first live show will then take place on Saturday 26 September, when the celebrities will perform their first routines in front of the judges.

The series will run throughout the autumn, with the much-loved themed weeks and the annual trip to Blackpool Tower Ballroom also returning.

Who Is Presenting Strictly Come Dancing 2026?

There’s a brand-new presenting line-up for 2026 – and, for the first time in Strictly history, there will be three presenters.

Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe will take charge of the ballroom this year.

Emma is one of the UK’s best-known TV presenters, while Johannes is making the move from professional dancer to presenter after years on the Strictly dancefloor.

Comedian Josh Widdicombe completes the trio, bringing his trademark humour to the show.

Who Are the Strictly Come Dancing 2026 Judges?

The judging panel remains unchanged for 2026.

Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke will once again be on hand to score the celebrities and give their thoughts on each performance.

Head Judge Shirley Ballas will lead the panel, while Craig, Motsi and Anton will be looking out for everything from technique and timing to performance and personality.

Meet the Strictly Come Dancing 2026 Celebrities

This year’s line-up includes some familiar faces from TV, sport, music and social media – as well as a few Strictly firsts.

Dani Dyer – TV Personality

Dani Dyer is getting a second chance at the Strictly ballroom after having to withdraw from last year’s series before it began due to injury.

The former Love Island winner has since added another reality TV achievement to her CV after winning Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.

Dani has also appeared alongside her dad Danny Dyer in The Dyers’ Caravan Park, as well as Celebrity MasterChef, Celebrity Gogglebox and EastEnders.

Now she’s hoping to finally make it onto the dancefloor and go all the way to the Strictly final.

Lawrence Robb – Actor

Fans of Emmerdale will know Lawrence Robb best as Mackenzie Boyd, a role he’s played on the ITV soap since 2020.

After swapping the Dales for the dancefloor, Lawrence will be putting his acting skills to a very different test as he learns ballroom and Latin routines.

Will his performance experience give him an advantage, or will Strictly prove to be a completely different challenge?

Delta Goodrem – Singer and Actress

Australian singer and actress Delta Goodrem is swapping the Eurovision stage for the Strictly ballroom.

Delta represented Australia at the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, where she performed her song, Eclipse.

She first became a household name in Australia after playing Nina Tucker in Neighbours, before going on to enjoy a hugely successful music career.

With five Australian number-one albums and years of performing experience behind her, Delta certainly knows how to command a stage – but Strictly will be a whole new challenge.

Tabby Stoecker – Olympic Gold Medallist

Tabby Stoecker is no stranger to competition.

The British skeleton racer won gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, making her one of this year’s most decorated sporting contestants.

She’s also a former gymnast and circus performer, so she’s already familiar with physical performance and competition. Could those skills translate to the ballroom?

Will Best – TV Presenter

TV presenter Will Best is swapping the sofa for the Strictly dancefloor.

He’s known for presenting Big Brother alongside AJ Odudu, as well as a number of other entertainment shows.

Will is also no stranger to music and entertainment, having presented shows including Dance Dance Dance.

Now he’ll be putting his own dancing skills to the test – and learning whether presenting a dance show is easier than actually dancing on one.

Lacey Turner – Actress

EastEnders legend Lacey Turner is finally stepping out of Albert Square and into the Strictly ballroom.

Lacey has played Stacey Slater on and off since joining EastEnders as a teenager, becoming one of the soap’s most recognisable stars.

Away from Walford, she has also starred in Our Girl, Call the Midwife and True Love.

After years of being asked to take part in Strictly, Lacey has finally decided that it’s time to put on her dancing shoes.

Cach Mercer – Reality TV Star

Cach Mercer shot to fame after winning Love Island 2025.

The reality star is now taking on a completely different challenge as he swaps the villa for the ballroom.

Cach also has previous dance experience, having trained in hip-hop and Afrobeats, although Strictly’s ballroom and Latin routines will be a different style altogether. Could his existing dance background give him an advantage?

Jaime Winstone – Actress

Jaime Winstone is heading from the world of film and television to the Strictly dancefloor.

The actress is best known for roles including her portrayal of Barbara Windsor in the BBC biopic Babs, as well as playing a young Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders.

As the daughter of actor Ray Winstone, Jaime has grown up around the entertainment industry and is no stranger to performing.

Now she’s ready to enter her Strictly showgirl era.

John Nellis – YouTuber and Football Creator

John Nellis is bringing the world of football content creation to Strictly.

The Northern Irish YouTuber is one of the UK’s biggest sports content creators, with a huge following across social media.

But while he’s comfortable in front of the camera, John has admitted that dancing is a completely new challenge for him.

Can the football fan turn his footwork into fancy footwork?

Graeme Hall – Dog Trainer and TV Personality

Dog trainer Graeme Hall, better known as The Dogfather, is swapping four-legged friends for a professional dance partner.

Graeme is best known for his work helping owners tackle difficult dog behaviour and has become a familiar face on television.

He’s used to teaching others, but this time he’ll be the one learning – and his professional partner will be the one calling the shots.

Melanie Walters – Actress

Fans of Gavin & Stacey will know Melanie Walters as Gwen West, Stacey’s mum.

Melanie has been acting for decades, with a career spanning television, film and theatre.

Her appearance on Strictly marks a very different kind of role, as she takes to the ballroom floor and attempts to impress the judges.

Bethany Antonia – Actress

Bethany Antonia is bringing some serious fantasy drama credentials to the Strictly ballroom.

The actress is best known for playing Baela Targaryen in HBO’s House of the Dragon. She’s also appeared in Pinocchio, Stay Close and It’s A Sin.

Now she’s swapping dragons for dance shoes as she takes on one of the biggest challenges of her career so far.

Chris Appleton – Celebrity Hair Stylist

Chris Appleton is used to working with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry.

The British celebrity hairstylist has worked with stars including Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, Ariana Grande, Katy Perry and Sofia Vergara.

He’s spent years creating red-carpet looks, but now he’ll be creating a very different kind of look on the Strictly dancefloor. We think he will be an underdog!

Dame Sarah Storey – Paralympian

Dame Sarah Storey is one of Britain’s greatest Paralympic athletes.

She began her sporting career as a swimmer before switching to cycling and has won an incredible 30 Paralympic medals, including 19 golds.

Sarah is Britain’s most decorated Paralympian and has continued competing at the highest level throughout her career.

Having retired from competitive cycling earlier this year, she’s now taking on a brand-new challenge – and becoming the first Dame to compete on Strictly.

Shaun Wright-Phillips – Former Footballer

Former England and Premier League footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips is trading the football pitch for the Strictly dancefloor.

The winger enjoyed a successful career with clubs including Manchester City and Chelsea and represented England at international level.

Now, instead of trying to find the back of the net, Shaun will be trying to find his rhythm.

Will his football footwork help him when it comes to the cha-cha-cha, salsa and samba?

Who Are the Strictly Come Dancing 2026 Professional Dancers?

The 2026 professional line-up includes a mixture of familiar Strictly favourites and five brand-new professional dancers.

Returning pros include Dianne Buswell, Julian Caillon, Amy Dowden, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Jowita Przystał, Aljaž Škorjanec, Alexis Warr, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley and Vito Coppola.

Five new professional dancers will also join the show this year:

• Aleksandra Isaeva
• Cristian Priori
• Lethabo Monametsi
• Maddie Ingoldsby
• Mark Karmalita

The new professionals come from the UK, Canada, Italy, South Africa and Ukraine, bringing a wealth of international dance experience to the Strictly ballroom

What Strictly 2026 Theme Weeks Can We Expect?

Some of Strictly’s most popular themed weeks are returning in 2026.

Viewers can look forward to Movies, Icons, Halloween and Musicals, alongside the show’s annual trip to the famous Blackpool Tower Ballroom.

The Instant Dance challenge, which made its debut in 2025, will also return.

When Is the Strictly Come Dancing 2026 Final?

The Strictly Come Dancing 2026 final is scheduled to take place on Saturday 19 December.

By then, the remaining couples will have battled through weeks of ballroom and Latin routines, dance-offs and themed shows in a bid to make it to the final.

The finalists will then perform their most memorable routines once again, alongside their showdance, before the Glitterball Trophy is awarded to this year’s champions.

Ola Jordan’s Strictly Come Dancing 2026 Predictions

For the third year running, we’ve teamed up with former Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Ola Jordan to get her expert take on this year’s competition.

Having spent nine series as a professional dancer on Strictly, Ola knows exactly what it takes to impress the judges, survive the dance-offs and make it to the final.

We’ll be speaking to Ola throughout the series to get her thoughts on this year’s celebrities, their performances and who she thinks could go all the way.

Ola Jordan’s Strictly 2026 Prediction

John Nellis is Ola’s “celebrity to watch”

The biggest surprise for me probably has to be John, John Nellis and Katya Jones. He was brilliant. He was the best for me overall. Obviously, he had the most points. They were on top of the leaderboard. It was just lovely. The whole dance was beautiful. The music, everything came together, like the music, the choreography. He was actually quite good.

He reminded me of a person, I think one of the judges mentioned, Darren Gough, back in the day. He was a cricketer. And I think I agree with that. He reminds you of this normal bloke coming onto the show and doing really well so yeah, I think I’ve got hopes for them. Katya is such a good choreographer, and she gets the best out of her partners so I’m looking forward to seeing them.

Ola predicts Delta Goodrem could go all the way

Kai Widdrington and Delta Goodrem probably could go all the way because she’s very good. And I think for her to be in the bottom two, it’s going to be hard. And if she’s in the bottom two, she’s going to be saved. she’s going to be safe unless she’s got a really bad dance. So probably Kai Widdrington and Delta Goodrem will go all the way.

Ola expected more from Dani Dyer

Ola Jordan: Who did I expect more from? Dani. I’m not sure yet. I mean, she’s good, don’t get me wrong. She’s one of the better ones in a competition. But I don’t know. I just didn’t love it. And Samba is hard. And she got the Samba. And I don’t know if she was nervous or what it was.

I didn’t love the routine as well; it didn’t really suit her. So yeah, I think I need time to warm up to them still, I think.

Tabby Stoecker “underscored” after impressive jive

Who do you think was the most underscored?

Ola Jordan: Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita. The jive was amazing and they only got 22 points. And when you look at who was similar point-wise. Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley got 24 points. And Tabby got 22 points for her jive. I don’t get that because her jive was pretty amazing, I think. So yeah, that doesn’t make sense to me. Maybe they saw something I didn’t on the screen.

Will Best could be an “underdog”

Which celebrity has the biggest potential to improve over the next few weeks?

Ola Jordan: Will could be an underdog because he only got 18 points. That’s probably quite low on the leaderboard. Cach Mercer was quite good. I reckon he could do well and I think he’s likeable too. Lawrence Robb and Jowita Przystał, I think they’re going to go a long way because they’re quite a good looking, nice couple and I think people are going to really like them together. Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita, they’re quite cute together as well.

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