Strictly Come Dancing professional Carlos Gu has announced his first solo show in London, combining dance and singing, as speculation mounts over which pros are being cut from the show's line-up. The 33-year-old Chinese National Champion, who won the Glitterball Trophy with celebrity partner Karen Carney in 2025, said he is 'full of the joys of spring' ahead of the performance.
Speaking exclusively, Gu described his move to London in 2022 to join the BBC show as a 'rebirth', allowing him to embrace his sexuality freely for the first time. He declined to comment on which fellow professionals are being axed, but praised the 'family' atmosphere among the cast, naming Amy Dowden, Katya Jones and Nikita Kuzmin as close friends.
Gu, who started dancing at age 11 in his native China, said his upbringing in a conservative small town shaped him. 'People tend to think dance is only for girls,' he recalled, adding that his mother initially hesitated before enrolling him. He left home at 12 to train at a prestigious Beijing boarding school, where only 70 of 1,000 auditioning children were accepted.
Reflecting on his Strictly journey, Gu said his partnership with Carney was 'amazing' and helped him 'dig deep and find myself'. He also praised Chris McCausland's routines with Dianne Buswell for their 'level of intensity and trust'. Asked about future hosting duties, Gu said he would prefer a return to the original male-female host format, suggesting Janette Manrara and Aljaž Škorjanec as his top choice.
