Strictly Come Dancing returns for its 2026 series on Saturday, September 19, with 15 new celebrities taking to the ballroom. The winner will be crowned before Christmas, adding their name to a list of 23 champions who have lifted the Glitterball trophy since the show began in 2004.
This year's contestants include former Love Island winner Dani Dyer-Bowen, actress Melanie Walters, former England footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips and Australian singer Delta Goodrem. They are joined by actress Lacey Turner, celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton, Love Island winner Cach Mercer, presenter Will Best, Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey, actress Jaime Winstone, actress Bethany Antonia, dog trainer and presenter Graeme “The Dogfather” Hall, Emmerdale’s Lawrence Robb, Olympian Tabby Stoecker and sports content creator John Nellis.
The Judges and Hosts for 2026
The judging panel remains unchanged with Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and head judge Shirley Ballas. For the first time, the presenting team will be Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe.
Here is the complete list of winners from the past 23 series.
Series 1-6: The Early Champions
Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole won the first series in 2004. They were the first couple to score a perfect 10, for their Samba to 'Love Is In The Air' in week five. Natasha finished 39 points ahead of runner-up Christopher Parker. She later received an OBE in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to the Holocaust Commission.
Jill Halfpenny and Darren Bennett won series 2 in 2004. Their Jive to Elton John's 'I'm Still Standing' was the first routine to score a perfect 40. Darren Gough and Lilia Kopylova won series 3 in 2005, making Gough the first male winner and the first cricketer to win. Mark Ramprakash and Karen Hardy won series 4 in 2006. They were the first couple to restart a routine after a wardrobe malfunction and were the only couple to score a perfect 40 that series.
Alesha Dixon and Matthew Cutler won series 5 in 2007, finishing two points ahead of Matt Di Angelo. Alesha later became a judge on the show. Tom Chambers and Camilla Dallerup won series 6 in 2008, after a voting-system controversy meant all three couples went through to the final.
Series 7-12: Record Breakers and Fan Favourites
Chris Hollins and Ola Jordan won series 7 in 2009, avoiding the dance-off all series. Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev won series 8 in 2010, scoring the highest mark for eight of the 13 dance styles. Harry Judd and Aliona Vilani won series 9 in 2011, receiving perfect 40s for their Quickstep and Argentine Tango. Louis Smith and Flavia Cacace won series 10 in 2012, after Louis won silver and bronze at the London 2012 Olympics.
Abbey Clancy and Aljaž Skorjanec won series 11 in 2013, the year the show moved to the George Lucas Stage 2 at Elstree studios. Caroline Flack and Pasha Kovalev won series 12 in 2014, scoring four perfect 40s across the run. Caroline died in February 2020.
Series 13-18: A Decade of Memorable Wins
Jay McGuiness and Aliona Vilani won series 13 in 2015, becoming the second couple to win without a perfect 40. Ore Oduba and Joanne Clifton won series 14 in 2016, despite being the first winner to have been in the bottom two more than once. Joe McFadden and Katya Jones won series 15 in 2017, the first with Shirley Ballas as head judge. Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton won series 16 in 2018. Stacey and Kevin later had a child together, Minnie, in January 2023.
Kelvin Fletcher and Oti Mabuse won series 17 in 2019. Kelvin was a late addition, replacing Jamie Laing. Bill Bailey and Oti Mabuse won series 18 in 2020, making Bill the oldest winner at 55 and giving Oti back-to-back wins.
Series 19-23: Recent Champions
Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice won series 19 in 2021. Rose was the first deaf contestant on the show. Their couple's choice dance, which featured a period of silence, won the BAFTA TV Award for Must-See Moment in 2022. Hamza Yassin and Jowita Przystał won series 20 in 2022, despite finishing bottom of the leaderboard in the final. Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola won series 21 in 2023, making Ellie the youngest winner at 22.
Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell won series 22 in 2024. They later won the P&O Cruises Memorable Moment Award at the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards. Karen Carney and Carlos Gu won series 23 in 2025. Karen was the first footballer to top the Strictly leaderboard in 18 years. Since winning, she has returned to football punditry, including covering the 2026 FIFA World Cup for ITV in New York.
