Strictly Come Dancing 2026 to have 'extraordinary' line-up
The 2026 series of Strictly Come Dancing starts in September.
Strictly Come Dancing bosses have picked an "extraordinary" line-up for the 2026 series.
Shirley Ballas, Head Judge on the BBC Latin and Ballroom dance show, knows the celebrities who are taking part, and she has assured fans that they are in for a treat when the new season starts in September.
Appearing on ITV's Good Morning Britain on Wednesday (10.06.26), the Queen of Latin, 65, kept tight-lipped about the cast after anchor Susanna Reid, 55, quizzed her about who is taking to the dance floor this year.
But Shirley teased: "It's quite extraordinary. There's going to be some people on there where you're going to go, 'Oh wow!'
"I can't tell you the names, obviously, but you know that the BBC always pick the incredible chemistry between all of the celebrities.
"So the whole thing, for me, is quite extraordinary; new dancers, new presenters.
"You should be way excited for this series, that I can assure."
Love Island alum Dani Dyer, 29 - who withdrew from Strictly Come Dancing last year due to an ankle injury - Neighbours alum Delta Goodrem and This Morning's Josie Gibson, both 41, and former Hollyoaks star Sarah Jayne Dunn, 44, are some of the names rumoured to be doing the programme this year.
The BBC has given Strictly Come Dancing a big shake-up for 2026.
Emma Willis, 50, comic Josh Widdicombe, 43, and 39-year-old Johannes Radebe - who has been a pro on the show since 2018 - are the new presenters, following the departures of Tess Daly, 57, and Claudia Winkleman, 54, at the end of the 2025 series in December.
And Shirley is thrilled with the new hosts, who came out on top during presenter auditions in April, which also involved former Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two hosts Zoe Ball, 55, and Rylan Clark, 37, BBC Radio 2's Sara Cox, 51, and others.
Shirley said: "I know that they took lots of chemistry tests, as did everybody, and those chemistry tests have brought these three people together, and I believe it's absolutely unbelievable.
"And I think everybody is going to be excited, we're excited, the judges are excited, we're on a WhatsApp group together, and I'm very excited to see what they bring."
She added of the chemistry tests: "I think it's important that everybody gets along with each other and that those personalities can come together as one."
Meanwhile, five new professional dancers are joining Strictly Come Dancing, after Karen Hauer, 44, Gorka Marquez, 35, Nadiya Bychkova and Luba Mushtuk, both 36, and Michelle Tsiakkas, 30, were all axed.
Another big change for 2026 is that Strictly Come Dancing's spin-off show, It Takes Two, is being turned into a video podcast.
And host Janette Manrara, 42, recently revealed she bowed out after four years, having originally fronted it with Rylan and then Fleur East, 38, from 2023.
In a recent YouTube video, Janette told fans: "Strictly Come Dancing has now changed hugely. I'm no longer a part of It Takes Two or the main show.
"I'll still be involved in other ways. But that just means that I'm free to pursue and do many other projects that I've always wanted to do and never really thought about doing.
"Strictly is all I've known for the past 14 years, so it is a bit like, ‘Oh, we're going into a different world, a different space, how are we going to navigate that?’”
The star - who was a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing from 2013 until 2020- said the "big shift and change" in her life will "hit when I come back from my holiday".
