Rachel Zegler, the acclaimed West End star, is set to perform on Strictly Come Dancing during Icons Week, The Independent can exclusively reveal. The BBC has confirmed that the actor, who recently concluded her run in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita, will appear on the results show airing on 26 October.
Zegler, 24, will perform “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” from the musical, accompanied by two of the show’s professional dancers. This marks her first performance on UK television, though she has previously appeared on The One Show and is scheduled for The Graham Norton Show on 24 October.
The star received rave reviews for her portrayal of Eva Perón at the London Palladium. Theatre critic Alice Saville, in a five-star review for The Independent, praised Zegler’s “emotive purity” and her ability to capture Evita’s “spoilt, childlike quality.”
Zegler’s breakout role was in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 adaptation of West Side Story, chosen from over 30,000 applicants. She has since appeared in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023), Disney’s Snow White (2024), and a Broadway adaptation of Romeo + Juliet alongside Kit Connor.
During the same episode, the Strictly professionals will pay tribute to Britney Spears with a dance featuring costumes from different eras of the pop star’s career. Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday 18 October, with Emmerdale’s Lewis Cope aiming to top the leaderboard.
