Strictly Come Dancing 2023: An Ultimate Guide
Strictly Come Dancing 2023 has thrown up plenty of brilliant performances and drama already and there’s more expected as the remaining celebrities prepare to take to the dancefloor for week nine.
Read on for your comprehensive guide to this year’s edition of the glittering dance contest, its competitors, judges and professionals.
What happened last week?
Last week we waved goodbye to Angela Rippon, who was voted off after losing the dance off against Bobby Brazier, who is now 16/1 to be this year’s winner and 7/2 to be eliminated next.
Ellie Leach and partner Vito scored a near-perfect 39 points for their Charleston, while Angela Scanlon and partner Carlos were close behind with 38 points. Leach is the 2/9 favourite to win this year’s competition, while Scanlon is still at 20/1 to win, despite a good performance, and is much more likely to be eliminated next – favourite at 13/8.
Who are this year’s contestants?
Actor Amanda Abbington, who starred in programmes such as Sherlock and Mr Selfridge, was among the first to be announced as a competitor in 2023’s edition of Strictly.
Alongside Abbington, journalist and broadcaster Angela Rippon CBE and Layton Williams, who is of film and theatre fame having starred in Billy Elliot and Everyone’s Talking About Jamie. Already a proven performer, Williams starts the show at 9/2 to win outright.
The next-revealed celebrities were newsreader Krishnan Guru-Murty, best known for his work on Channel 4 News, stand-up comedian Eddie Kadi and television presenter Angela Scanlon.
Documentary-maker and content creator Zara McDermott’s announcement followed, accompanied by Emmerdale actor Adam Thomas and BBC Asian Network’s radio host Nikita Kanda.
Ellie Leach, who is known from Coronation Street, was declared shortly after, alongside World and Paralympic Champion swimmer and cyclist Joe Cundy CBE and Eastenders actor and model Bobby Brazier.
Finally, Casualty actor Nigel Harman, former No.1 tennis player Annabel Croft and actor and TV personality Les Dennis came to light as the final 2023 contestants.
Go to this year’s Strictly odds
Who are the Strictly 2023 judges and hosts?
Ex-Strictly professional dancer, Anton Du Beke will return to his position on the judging panel after his successful spell in the last two years’ series. He will be joined by Craig Revel Horwood, who returns for his 21st series, Motsi Mabuse and Head Judge Shirley Ballas once again. Hosting this year’s affair are once again the duo of Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly.
Who are the Strictly 2023 professional dancers?
What would Strictly be without its host of incredibly talented professional dancers? Brought in to back up the often-hapless celebrities are a group of dancers who have made their livelihoods with their ability to move to the rhythm and express themselves with music.
Back to aid their celebrity partners and entertain the public in a way no other television show can are 19 Strictly pros:
- Dianne Buswell
- Nadiya Bychkova
- Graziano Di Prima
- Amy Dowden
- Karen Hauer
- Katya Jones
- Neil Jones
- Nikita Kuzmin
- Gorka Marquez
- Luba Mushtuk
- Giovanni Pernice
- Jowita Przystal
- Johannes Radebe
- Kai Widdrington
- Nancy Xu
- Carlos Gu
- Lauren Oakley
- Michelle Tsiakkas
- Vito Coppola
Who are the previous winners of Strictly Come Dancing?
As is with every year, the couple that wins the grand final takes home the glitzy Disco Ball trophy and more importantly gains the plaudits of the judges, the fans at the venue and the emotionally invested public across the country. Winners of previous seasons are:
- Series 1: Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole
- Series 2: Jill Halfpenny and Darren Bennett
- Series 3: Darren Gough and Lilia Kopylova
- Series 4: Mark Ramprakash and Karen Hardy
- Series 5: Alesha Dixon and Matthew Cutler
- Series 6: Tom Chambers and Camilla Dallerup
- Series 7: Chris Hollins and Ola Jordan
- Series 8: Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvinstev
- Series 9: Harry Judd and Aliona Vilani
- Series 10: Louis Smith and Flavia Cacace
- Series 11: Abbey Clancy and Aljaž Skorjanec
- Series 12: Caroline Flack and Pasha Kovalev
- Series 13: Jay McGuiness and Aliona Vilani
- Series 14: Ore Oduba and Joanne Clifton
- Series 15: Joe McFadden and Katya Jones
- Series 16: Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton
- Series 17: Kevin Fletcher and Oti Mabuse
- Series 18: Bill Bailey and Oti Mabuse
- Series 19: Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice
- Series 20: Hamza Yassin and Jowita Przystal
Check out the latest Strictly Come Dancing and TV specials betting odds