Strictly head judge Shirley Ballas praises ‘brilliant’ pairings as couples are announced

Strictly Come Dancing judge Motsi Mabuse was left red-faced after getting one of her co-star's names wrong. The judge was critiquing Kym Marsh's Viennese Waltz with her professional partner Graziano Di Prima when she inadvertently called him by Giovanni Pernice's name.Motsi quickly covered up her blunder by blaming the show for having too many "Italian boys" – but poor Graziano was left offended.READ MORE: Strictly’s Kaye Adams makes X-rated confession after wild training sessionWhile delivering her comments, Motsi said: "There were so many beautiful moments.

Strictly Come Dancing favourite Will Mellor had a mixed reaction from judges, after his hip-swivelling enthusiasm was praised, but his technical performance was criticised.The former Coronation Street villain confessed that his mind "went blank", as pro dancer Nancy apologised to him for pushing him "too hard".Even worse, he endured trolls on Twitter telling him he should be removed from the performance altogether.The verdict from the judges after tonight's effort was that the 46-year-old heart-throb needed to "work on his performance".Shirley Ballas had previously praised his hip movements on Celebrity Juice - before he'd so much as signed up for the show - but her feedback this evening wasn't all positive, as she told him he was "making mistakes".Will dismissed errors in his footwork, including standing on Nancy's foot, as being caused by "nerves".Nancy then apologised to him, admitting to the audience: "I push him really hard...

Strictly Come Dancing's Will Mellor admitted his "mind went blank" as he unfortunately made a mistake in his opening dance with pro Nancy Xu.The actor, 46, and pro, 31, opened the BBC One show on Saturday with a Salsa to Never Too Much by Luther Vandross, where during the routine Nancy lost one of her earrings. After performing, host Tess Daly pointed out: "Losing buttons and earrings and all sorts, we are live after all!" While during the judges' feedback, they pointed out some errors in the routine as Shirley Ballas said: "There were some mistakes this evening, I saw your little face - it's quite difficult to repick it back up but you got on with it, you did it!" Speaking to Claudia Winkleman after the dance, a deflated Will admitted that his "mind went completely blank" but pointed out that this is live TV.

Paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds is part of an exciting lineup on this year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing. Off the dance floor, Ellie is an incredibly talented swimmer and won two gold medals for Team GB at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics - when she was just 13 years old. Last year during the Tokyo Olympics, Ellie announced her retirement from the world of swimming which gave her much time to spend in her lovely home.

Comedian and actress Jayde Adams’ Strictly Come Dancing journey has been a highly emotional one so far.The 37-year-old broke down in tears after the first live show and was shocked by the standing ovation she got for her debut dance with partner Karen Hauer, 40. And it’s the secret heartache of losing her older sister Jenna to a brain tumour when she was just 28 years old back in 2011 that has made appearing on Strictly so important to her. “Jayde is a very emotional girl and she’s had a real journey with losing her sister,” a source told us.

Strictly Come Dancing star Will Mellor tugged at the heartstrings of the nation as he broke down live on-air while apologising to his children.Will and his professional partner Nancy Xu performed a Salsa on Saturday night (October 1), but he received some harsh critiques from the judging panel for his "heavy" dancing.Judge Craig Revel Horwood told Will: "I thought you danced all of that just too heavily into the floor, and that interrupted the flow. It was a bit jagged in places, and this is a dance that should be a melting pot of steps."He did admit that Will has "exceptional rhythm" and said his performance skills are "out of this world".

Strictly Come Dancing presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman looked sensational as they took to the stage wearing dazzling ensembles for the popular BBC show.Blonde bombshell Tess made a fashionable statement wearing a mini white dress with diamond detailing on the split and on the collar.Showing off her endlessly long legs, Tess made sure she kept eyes on her gorgeous outfit.Meanwhile Claudia opted for a smart-casual look wearing a satin black blouse, with pink flared trousers.Rushing to Twitter, fans shared their thoughts.One person penned: "I’m sorry, but can we all just take an absolute wow at Tess Daly! She’s 53 mun!"This is a live TV story and is being constantly updated.

Kym Marsh has made Strictly a family affair from the off and couldn’t wait to introduce her dance partner Graziano to her husband Scott Ratcliff and parents Pauline and David during a break from training. But having her dad in the audience to watch her dance has been made even more poignant for Kym, 46, as she revealed she wants to make him proud. He was diagnosed with incurable prostate cancer last summer and now Kym, who’s incredibly close to both her parents, says she’s doing the show for them.

Strictly Come Dancing star Ellie Simmonds has spoken out about her fears ahead of joining the competition. "My biggest fear about competing on the show is that it's all new. It's the unknown," says Ellie, 27, in an exclusive chat with OK!.

Strictly Come Dancing star Ellie Simmonds has revealed she sees Rose Ayling-Ellis as an "inspiration" - and says we need to "celebrate" diversity.It comes as the show faced a backlash from critics claiming the show is a "woke box-ticking exercise" for casting same-sex couples and contestants with disabilities.Paralympic swimmer Ellie, 27, has won four gold medals for Great Britain and bagged 10 world records during her amazing athletic career.READ MORE:Strictly's Hamza Yassin slams 'woke' claims and defends co-star from 'nonsense' criticsBut she's ditched the pool for the famous BBC ballroom, where she's competing with show pro #Nikita Kuzmin for a chance to win yet another competition.Ellie told Daily Star and other press that we need to "celebrate" the fact that everybody's different, praising the show's inclusive nature as it gives children something to "relate to".Asked if she sees Rose as an inspiration, she confirmed: "Yeah, yeah. No definitely.

Strictly Come Dancing star Anton Du Beke, 57, and Hannah tied the knot at Cliveden House Hotel in 2017 after admitting it was love at first sight for him.The couple managed to keep their big day under wraps with only limited loved ones in attendance and no reception in the evening.The Strictly jude said the couple settled for a small wedding, an afternoon tea and then went back home to bed. He told Hello! Magazine: "Some people like a huge celebration, but I didn't feel comfortable with that because it's a very intimate moment and I just wanted to get married to Hannah."The couple met at a party back in 2012 and got together shortly after.In the same year as their wedding, his wife fell pregnant with twins three months into IVF treatment.Richard Gere's mortality fears as he hopes to live to see kids grow upOn March 30, she gave birth to their daughter Henrietta and son George.Anton's wife has been open about her struggles with conceiving in recent years.Speaking to Lorraine Kelly in 2021, Hannah spilled that she told the dancer about her battle with endometriosis pretty early on.She explained: "The problem with me is, it's quite hard to hide."It was one of those things where on a monthly basis, I looked like I was six months pregnant."Hannah suffered from swelling which often resulted in people asking her if she was expecting.Sitting by her side, Anton added: "It's one of those perverse things endometriosis, where if you're a woman who wants to have children and you have endometriosis and you find you can't have children, then the bloating looks like you're pregnant."People are like, 'Oh marvellous, you must be so delighted,' it's sort of compounded somehow."'Part of dwarfism' James Jordan corrected after Ellie Simmonds

Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke gives critique to the dancing duos alongside head judge Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse.The 56-year-old said he was "delighted" to officially be a part of the panel, however could he be wishing he was on the dance floor instead?Anton was the show's longest reigning professional dancer up until his last series in 2020.During the series, he stood in Motsi's shoes for two weeks while she self-isolated.In the following year, he replaced Bruno who couldn't travel back to the UK due to restrictions at the time.This year, he was announced as an official judge.Naga Munchetty 'let off steam' after furious BBC Breakfast backlashAccording to Body language expert Darren Stanton, Anton could be "frustrated" on the panel.On behalf of Betfair, he said: “Anton was seen making a lot of movement with his body and gestures as he sat on the panel."He’s doing a thing in psychology that we call second positioning, which means he’s placing himself into the shoes of the prospective candidate.“This can come across as him being frustrated sometimes because I feel Anton just wants to hit the dance floor and take part rather than being a judge."Sometimes he almost dances in his seat and he’s often seen moving his shoulders and his body in time with the performances.“It’s the same as when you might see somebody watching a sports game, like tennis or football."He went on to say that the dancer is "definitely resonating" with his fellow dancers."He knows exactly what it feels like to be on the receiving end," the former police officer added.Sharon Osbourne reacts to 's**t storm' after Meghan row [REACTION]Amber Heard hires new lawyer for insurance firms battle [REVEALED]Jennifer Aniston

Strictly first got together to present the main show, many viewers were not convinced of the pair’s chemistry. With many still missing the late and great Bruce Forsyth at the time, who had stepped back from hosting both the Saturday and Sunday shows in 2010, Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly’s seemingly "strained" relationship came under scrutiny.

BBC's latest reality show Unbreakable sees new couples go head to head with long married ones to see whose relationship is the strongest. Host and comedian Rob Beckett puts the six celebrities and their partners through mental and physical challenges as they play to win the first Unbreakable couple title.

STRICTLY star Ellie Simmonds' parents opened up about their fears for their daughter after she signed up for the BBC dance show. Five-time Paralympic gold medallist swimmer Ellie, 27, who is the BBC show’s first contestant with dwarfism, had the crowd on their feet with an energetic cha-cha-cha to Dance by DNCE last week.

The Strictly Come Dancing journey kicked off last week with the brand new batch of 15 celebrities and their professional partners making their debut in the ballroom.

Ellie Simmonds may have wowed us all with her impressive dancing skills on Strictly Come Dancing, but the Paralympic swimmer admitted she’s been targeted by trolls online and it has really affected her. Ellie, 27, who has achondroplasia dwarfism, said: “I’ve had it already. Some people have said, ‘How’s the dwarf going to dance?’ It’s sad and it does get to you.'" Despite the keyboard warriors’ cruel comments, the gold medal-winning athlete has already been praised by notoriously harsh judge Craig Revel Horwood for her fantastic timing, rhythm and attitude.

READ MORE: AJ Pritchard splits from 'devastated' girlfriend Abbie Quinnen after 3 yearsMany fans of the star flooded to the comments section to comment on Fleur's 'amazing' new look, with one person writing: "Beautiful lady and amazing hair. " Whilst another added: "Fleur and her sister are so pretty and have such gorgeous hair!!!"Last week, (Saturday, September 24), the vocalist and her dance partner and new professional, Vito Coppola, closed out the show with an electric cha cha cha to Let’s Get Loud by Jennifer Lopez.

Strictly Come Dancing co-stars, dance pro Nikita Kuzmin and his celeb partner Ellie Simmonds.The Spanish dancer, 32, reshared a sweet snap of the partnership ahead of the second week of the show.In view of his 703,000 followers, Gorka voiced his support for Nikita and Ellia.The Strictly pro reposted a picture of the duo which paralympian Ellie has shared to her stories.In the pic, Nikita affectionately had his arm around Elie's shoulder as she beamed while hugging him around his waist.The swimming champion also revealed that the Spaniard was the one who took a snap of the sweet moment.Ellie wrote: "@gorka_marquez bringing out his incredible camera...