Strictly Come Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas has described the 2026 launch show as "absolute chaos and carnage," admitting she has "never seen anything like it" as couples were paired through 'speed dancing' routines.
New Presenters and Pairings
The BBC show returned for 2026 with a fresh presenting lineup and new professional dancers. Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe will host the first live show on Saturday, September 26, when the newly formed couples take to the floor for their opening performances.
Last weekend's launch show, the first since Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman departed, revealed which celebrities had been matched with which professional dancers. Shirley has returned to the judging panel alongside Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke.
Shirley on the Pairings
She said: "I've never seen anything like it. Totally new, totally fresh and totally bonkers. We genuinely didn't know who was going to end up with who and it made the launch one like never before."
Pairings include Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola, Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington, Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley, and same-sex pairing Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu. Shirley said: "I really did struggle to work out who'd be with who this year. We've got a dance floor full of personalities and Motsi and I we're absolutely dying with laughter at the desk watching the chaos of the pairings unfold."
Advice and Fond Memories
She added: "I genuinely cannot wait to see all our couples and I truly mean it. It's so exciting witnessing a new cast experience the magic of our show."
Shirley urges contestants to "listen to your teacher" and said: "Don't overthink, don't change anything and just live in the moment. And as our dearest Len (Goodman) used to say 'Turn up, show up and shut up!'"
She cited Kelvin Fletcher's 2019 samba with Oti Mabuse as among her most unforgettable opening routines. The duo later won the series. She said: "It was of a quality I'd never seen in week one before and he wasn't even supposed to be on the show! It was simply brilliant and I still think about it to this day."
Reflecting on her role, she said she adores "simply walking into the studio every Saturday and seeing my Strictly family" and added: "And I must add, sitting next to Anton Du Beke every Saturday is fun – he's like a naughty school boy!"
Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One on Saturdays and on BBC iPlayer.
