Strictly Come Dancing is set to return to screens tonight, but one familiar face will be missing from the lineup after missing out on getting a celebrity partner.
The BBC dancing series has slowly been revealing its star-studded line-up for this season over the past few weeks, with the likes of Towie’s Pete Wicks, comedian Chris McCausland, and Love Island contestant Tasha Ghouri all announced to be competing for the glitter ball trophy.
While the pairings have yet to be officially announced, it has been confirmed that fan favourite Kai Widdrington won’t be partaking as a celebrity partner due to a lack of female contestants.
The 29-year-old joined the show in 2021 and was first paired with TV presenter AJ Odudu before working with Loose Women’s Kaye Adams and, most recently, Angela Rippon on last year’s season.
Despite having a great run with his now close friend, Angela, a source confirmed in August that ‘Kai has become the first casualty of this year’s male-heavy line-up.’
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While the professional dancer has kept mostly tightlipped about the producer’s decision, he has since broken his silence, telling the Daily Star he’s hopeful he will be paired with a celebrity next season.
‘Everyone wants to get a celebrity’, he said. ‘Unfortunately it wasn’t my time this series. Two boys couldn’t have one this series and sadly I am one of them.’
‘Some of us don’t get partners and that’s the way it is. Let’s see what happens next year. Hopefully I’ll get one then.’
He continued to say the new season ‘is going to be a fantastic series’ and said while he has missed out on nabbing a partner, he has been kept busy with group routines.
‘We have been filming a lot of the group routines. There are some amazing ones. We have worked really hard through the summer to get them ready for the series. One of the ones I feature in is very funny.’
He also told MailOnline earlier this week: ‘Everyone wants to get a celeb, but unfortunately it wasn’t my time this year. Hopefully, I will get one next year. Unfortunately, there’s nine male celebs and six female celebs.’
It comes after Kai and his ex-girlfriend and Strictly co-star, Nadiya Bychkova, reportedly ‘had to be separated’ while attending the National Television Awards on Thursday night.
The professional dancers first met on the popular BBC show in 2021 and announced their relationship in 2022. But after two years together, a source revealed the pair had parted ways in July.
‘It’s heartbreaking’, they said. ‘Kai and Nadiya seemed like the most perfect couple and have been so, so blissfully in love.’
Despite claims the former golden couple remained ‘incredibly close’, their red carpet appearance earlier this week seemed to prove otherwise.
Both attended the prestigious NTA event on Thursday night, with Nadiya seen walking the carpet in an eye-catching pink dress complete with a long train.
Kai, meanwhile, walked the carpet with his former dance partner Angela in a dapper suit with a bow tie.
Metro.co.uk can confirm that the former couple did not interact on the carpet, nor did they walk it at the same time as Nadiya, was one of the last to arrive.
Speaking to the MailOnline, the frosty treatment continued inside the O2, with an onlooker revealing: ‘When the pair got inside the O2, they gave each other a very wide berth.’
‘Organisers had ensured there would be no awkward camera shots by keeping the frosty pair apart from each other.’
Strictly Come Dancing airs at 7.20 pm on September 14, on BBC One and iPlayer.
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