The winner of Strictly Come Dancing 2026 has been 'revealed' by a supercomputer analysis of more than 20 years of historical data from the BBC show - and it is not Lacey Turner.
According to ActionNetwork.com's supercomputer, which examined the characteristics of the previous 23 winners, actress Bethany Antonia possesses the most attributes of a typical Strictly Come Dancing champion, scoring 8 points. She currently holds the strongest odds of winning series 24 at 3/2, with an implied probability of 40%.
Supercomputer analysis of champion traits
The analysis identified shared characteristics among past winners. Antonia's star sign is Capricorn, the joint-most common sign among Strictly champions. She was also born on a Thursday, the third-most frequent birth weekday among previous winners.
At 28 years old, she sits within the 'late 20s' age category, which is also among the most common ages for a winner at the moment of their triumph.
Other contenders with 6 points
An ActionNetwork.com spokesperson said: "Bethany Antonia stands out as the contestant whose profile most closely matches that of a typical Strictly Come Dancing champion, with her age, birthplace, occupation, birth weekday and star sign all matching common traits from past winners."
The spokesperson added: "The supercomputer gave Antonia 8 points, and she currently has the shortest odds to win the 24th series at 3/2, while Cach Mercer, Dani Dyer, Tabby Stoecker and Will Best all got 6 points from the supercomputer, with their odds of winning the series at 11/2."
Antonia's career and series details
Bethany Antonia has featured in programmes including Get Even, Stay Close and Sense and Sensibility. Her most prominent role to date has been playing dragon rider Lady Baela Targaryen in HBO's Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon since 2022.
The latest series of Strictly Come Dancing is fronted by Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe. Famous faces including Lacey Turner, Jamie Winstone, Chris Appleton, Cach Mercer, Delta Goodrem and Dame Sarah Storey are among the contestants. Strictly Come Dancing airs every weekend on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
