Strictly Come Dancing returned to our screens last night to launch the 2019 series.
Following the recording of the episode, reality TV star Jamie Laing had to pull out of the show due to injury. He had been partnered with Oti Mabuse for the series so producers have had to find a replacement.
Kelvin Fletcher, best-known for playing the role of Andy Sugden from 1996 to 2016 on ITV soap Emmerdale, has been announced as a new celebrity contestant. He will now be dancing with Oti and will make his debut in the first live show of the series later this month.
Kelvin said, “Is this really happening?! It’s been the most surreal week of my life! I’m a massive fan of Strictly so it’s incredible. I’m so happy that I can be a part of it. But at the same time it’s quite bittersweet! I’m coming in on the back of Jamie’s injury – I keep thinking about him! I can’t imagine going through all this excitement and then having to pull out. My thoughts are with him – he seems like a fantastic guy and I hope he’s doing OK.”
All of the couples were revealed during last night’s launch show and fans were unhappy that Gorka Marquez and Graziano di Prima weren’t given celebrity partners this year. Instead Neil Jones and Johannes Radebe have both been given partners this year as well as female pro Luba Mushtuk.
Strictly Come Dancing 2019 kicks off its live shows on Saturday 21st September 2019.
