Former Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Ola Jordan returned to the BBC spin-off It Takes Two, telling viewers it "feels like coming home" after a significant hiatus from the show.
The 43-year-old appeared on Friday's episode (October 9) alongside host Ellie Taylor, where she discussed her views on this year's celebrity contestants and their forthcoming performances. She also joined Sarah Hadland and Dr Ranj Singh in the studio.
Emotional return after 11 years
After the show, Ola took to Instagram to share photos from her time on the programme, captioning the post: "What a feeling to be back on @bbcstrictly after all these years! Stepping back into the Strictly world has honestly felt so surreal."
She added: "So many incredible memories, so many special people and such a huge part of my life was created here. Thank you to Strictly for having me back and giving me the opportunity to be part of it again. It really does feel like coming home."
Fans celebrate her return
Fans were quick to comment on Ola's return, with many overjoyed to see her back on It Takes Two. One said: "Fantastic! Great to have you back. Made it worth watching. Knowledge and beauty." Another wrote: "About time you are missed on it, looking beautiful as always."
A third person added: "Love this so much! @bbcstrictly we would love Ola to be presenting or dancing again permanently! Please." A fourth fan commented: "Aww, so good to see you talking strictly, hope you will be a regular now." While another shared: "Welcome back Ola.xx"
Looking ahead to Saturday's performances
Ola was a fixture on Strictly Come Dancing for ten years before departing the BBC programme in 2015. One of the standout moments during her tenure came in 2009 when she claimed victory alongside sports journalist Chris Hollins.
Discussing her predictions for the forthcoming performances, Ola reflected on Shaun Wright-Phillips and his routine with partner Alexis Warr, as they attempt to wow the judges with a Quickstep on Saturday evening.
She said: "Poor little Shaun, I really was feeling for him in the first week, he wasn't great. The second week, he was amazing. I'm really hoping that he's going to stay there."
"But he's doing a ballroom dance, which is going to be hard because you need to keep that posture going. There's going to be a lot of fast footwork, and as we've seen, it's a bit bumpy, so I don't know, fingers crossed for him."
Strictly: It Takes Two continues weeknights on BBC Two from 6:30pm.
