Strictly Come Dancing 2025: Chris McCausland returns to show as final pairings confirmed

Hello! It's late September, and that can only mean one thing, Strictly Come Dancing is back. Our favourite countdown to Christmas returns to screens in just over an hour and we can't wait to see who's paired with who.

Any predicitons? Let me know at matthew.moore@hellomagazine.com

We can't get enough of Claudia Winkleman on Strictly, with her hilarious antics serving as the perfect foil to co-star Tess Daly. But if you've ever wondered about Claudia's famous family, we have all the news here...

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Ever since he joined the show in 2022, Vito Coppola has steered all of his celebrity partners to the final, even winning in 2023 with Ellie Leach. But is the Italian hunk dating anyone? Here's all we know...

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Last year, one couple got tongues wagging and fans were convinced they were an item. Well, now it's seemingly been confirmed as they were seen sharing several passionate kisses. Find out everything you need to know here...

One of our favourite judges on the show is former professional dancer Anton Du Beke. As we get ready for another year of his vocalisations, meet his wife and children below...

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We don't have to wait long for the show to be back, in just 40 mins, it will be broadcast on BBC1. I don't know about you, but I'm feeling very excited!!

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Aside from the pairings, there's plenty of treats in store for Strictly fans. Jessie J is set to perform a number in the ballroom, while last year's winners Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell will reprise their waltz from last year's series.

The tissues were certainly needed when it was first performed and when the couple danced it in the final, they recieved a perfect score!

There are also two new pros, Julian Caillon and Alexis Carr, and we can't wait to meet them and see their moves on the floor.

One of the stars set to be paired with a pro dancer tonight is Dani Dyer. Get to know about her partner and her children here...

There's been a lot of talk about this year's line-up, but honestly, I've been pretty happy with it. We finally have Alex Kingston, like what more do we need?! Read my full thoughts on this year's line-up here...

It's starting, let's go!

We were already expecting Chris to return to the series, but not in an opening skit like that! He'll be taking to the dancefloor again later on in the show.

Oh Strictly is back with a bang! Sultry dances, a medley involving MacArthur's Park and our first glimpse at the new stars showing off their dance moves, though they'll need to do more than clap in time in the future!

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The iconic stars have been walked, but who's paired with who? We should find out soon... And also, it seems that social media persoanlity is ditched as George Clarke is introduced as content creator!

Dianne Buswell will be making Strictly history this year as she dances while pregnant. The star confirmed that she and partner Joe Sugg would be welcoming their first child next year. We can't wait to see how she gets on.

Look, I love Strictly, but by now I feel like we've had at least one pairing. And fans are thinking the same, as one said on social media: "Are they actually going to dance anytime soon?"

Lorraine Kelly made a surprise appearance to cheer on her close friend Ross King. Lorraine for next year please!

Ross King has been paired with Jowita Przystal as the first pairing. Ross has been around the world interviewing stars, but will he make it to the semi-finals like Jowita did with her partner Pete Wicks last year?

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Lewis Cope is a super-sub for the show, and he is paired with former champion Katya Jones. The star has spoken about his West End experience, so we're sure we'll be seeing a lot of him this year!

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Dani Dyer has been one of the biggest signers for this year, and hopefully her partner, Nikita will be able to impress her dad, Danny Dyer! Nikita was eliminated during Icons Week last week.

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Nadiya was sadly eliminated first last year when she danced with Tom Dean, but we're sure this year, she'll be getting further now she's with former England rugby captain Chris Robshaw.

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La Voix is the first drag queen on the main series of the show, and she's paired with Aljaz Skorjanec. Will Aljaz make another final with the performer? The drag star jokingly stormed out when she met Aljaz, before cementing their partnership.

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We now know what the first performance will be. Ross and Jowita will be dancing the Cha-Cha-Cha to Katy Perry's smash hit, California Gurls. It will be a homage to Ross' career, where he's often in Tinseltown.

It's been confirmed that Lewis will be dancing the jive next week. But we wonder what song it will be to? Any guesses?

Our next batch of celebs will be paired off soon, they're Vicky Pattison, Alex Kingston, Ellie Goldstein, Balvinder Sopal and Karen Carney.

This line-up isn't the one that was originally planned. The final star confirmed for the show was Game of Thrones star Kristian Nairn, who sadly had to pull out; he was subsequently replaced by Lewis Cope. Here's why the actor had to leave the show...

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I mean, Alex is my favourite star of the year and Johannes is my favourite professional, so I know who'll be getting all of my votes this year. Come on, River Song!

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Vicky has been open about her nerves ahead of appearing on the show, and she'll have Kai Widdrington looking out for her during the show.

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After missing out on a partner next year, Carlos Gu is back on the Strictly dancefloor, and he's partnering former Lioness Karen Carney. Let's hear them roar!

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Balvinder is our EastEnders representative and the Suki Pansear star will be dancing with new pro Julian Caillon. We can't wait to see what choreography he's able to challenge the star with.

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It might be September, but that was very hot! Johannes embraced his inner diva, Vito showed off his abs, and we met the new pros, Alexis Carr and Julian Caillon. Will the new dancers get a partner? Let's see what happens. And who would've thought Julian could've perfected a Geordie accent!