Strictly Come Dancing professional Lauren Oakley has been announced as part of the cast of the 2027 UK and Ireland tour of the multi-award-winning musical Chicago, marking her musical theatre debut.
Oakley, who has been a professional dancer on the BBC One show since 2022, will star as Roxie Hart in the production, which comes to the Opera House in Manchester from May 25 to May 29, 2027.
A New Stage Role
She joins a cast that includes two-time Olivier Award nominee Adam Garcia as Billy Flynn and The X Factor winner Sam Bailey as Mama Morton. Charlotte Gooch will play Velma Kelly, with Jonathan Dryden Taylor as Amos Hart and R. Leonard as Mary Sunshine.
The news comes as Oakley continues her current Strictly campaign, where she is paired with dog training expert Graeme Hall, known as "the Dog Father." Hall has hosted the Channel 5 programme Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly since 2019 and has also fronted The Dog Hospital with Graeme Hall on the same channel.
Support From Strictly Stars
As the news was shared across Chicago's social media channels, Oakley's Strictly colleagues were quick to show their support. Neil Jones said: "Sooooo gooood," while Luba Mushtuk wrote: "Sooooooooo PROUD." Gorka Marquez commented: "WOWO this is AMAZING!!!" Oti Mabuse replied: "Oh this is brilliant congratulations @laurenmayoakley." Dianne Buswell shared: "Yesssss lozza," and Ellie Taylor added: "Amazing Lauren!!!!" Graeme Hall simply wrote: "AWESOME @laurenmayoakley."
Oakley has worked with several celebrity partners during her time on Strictly, including Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, and led JB Gill to the 2024 final after Amy Dowden had to pull out due to injury. She and Hall are set to return to the dance floor in week seven of Strictly's 2026 series on Saturday, November 7.
