Lawrence Robb has been dealt a blow hours before the first Strictly Come Dancing live show, with bookmakers predicting he could miss out on winning the 2026 competition.
The celebrities will take to the dancefloor for the first time on Saturday night, performing for the judges in the first live show. While there will be no elimination this week, bookmakers have shared their predictions on who will win the series.
Bookmakers' odds and favourites
Emmerdale star Lawrence Robb, partnered with Jowita Przystal, has been well backed following Saturday's launch show, with his odds shortening from 7/1 to 5/1. However, Dani Dyer remains the 10/3 favourite with Betway to lift the Glitterball Trophy. John Nellis has also seen support, with his odds cut from 16/1 to 9/1.
Lewis Knowles, Betway's spokesperson, said: "Youtuber John Nellis has been by far the best backed contestant following Saturday's launch show, nearly halving in price to 9/1 (from 16/1) to win this year's Glitterball Trophy.
"Lawrence Robb is another we've seen good support for, but Dani Dyer remains strong in the market as our 10/3 favourite, and the former Love Islander will be hoping for more luck this time around after having to withdraw from last year's competition due to injury."
Outsider and launch show reactions
At the other end of the scale, Shaun Wright-Phillips could be eliminated from the competition first. The spokesperson added: "Sports people have an outstanding record in Strictly Come Dancing over the years, so Olympian Tabby Stoecker will certainly be one to watch, but expectations for football legend Shaun Wright-Phillips are seemingly low, with the former England international the outsider of the field at 40/1."
Last week, viewers watched the Strictly Come Dancing launch where the celebrities were paired with their dance partners. During the show, Lawrence was asked about his predecessors on Emmerdale who had competed on Strictly. He said: "They are very big shoes to fill. I guess I can empathise with you guys, filling Claudia and Tess' place."
Discussing his training, the soap star added: "It was amazing. Honestly, now I am chomping at the bit to get down and do it. Watching the girls do it makes you feel like, 'I just wanna do it now'."
First elimination next weekend
Next weekend, the celebrities, including Lawrence, Lacey Turner, Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem, Chris Appleton, Cach Mercer, Will Best, Dame Sarah Story, Jaime Winstone, Bethany Antonia, Shaun Wright-Phillips, and Graeme Hall, will all be at risk as the first elimination of the series takes place.
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturday at 6.15pm on BBC One.
