By Boxer steps into Strictly ring as part of first same-sex couple
Olympic boxer Nicola Adams will make Strictly Come Dancing history by becoming the first contestant to be part of a same-sex pairing.
She will be stepping into the Strictly ring with a female partner, who has not yet been revealed.
And excitement is building before the hugely popular show as more celebrities who will be taking part have been revealed.
Included in the line-up for the 2020 series so far are Good Morning Britain presenter Ranvir Singh and BBC Radio 1’s Clara Amfo. They were announced today (Wednesday) after actress Caroline Quentin, former NFL player Jason Bell and The Wanted’s Max George were announced yesterday.
Nicola Adams won a gold medal for Great Britain at the London 2012 Olympics, and again in Rio in 2016. She retired from the sport last year.
Asked on BBC breakfast television today whether the idea to have a female partner came from her or the show’s producers, she said: “I asked the show about it. They wanted to know if I wanted to be on the show and I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll do it, but I want to dance with another female dance partner’.”
Strictly has previously featured two male professionals dancing together in a one-off routine, when Johannes Radebe and Graziano di Prima performed to Emeli Sande’s Shine last year.
Some applauded the show for the routine, but the BBC received 189 complaints from viewers who found it offensive.
Other British talent shows shows have featured same-sex pairs. Earlier this year, pop star Ian Watkins – better known as H from Steps – was paired with Matt Evers on the most recent series of ITV’s Dancing On Ice.
The 18th series of Strictly will begin in October but will be shorter than usual, and judge Bruno Tonioli will have a reduced role amid coronavirus restrictions.
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