After last week’s pre-recorded launch show, it’s almost time for this year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing to really get up and running, with the first live broadcast of the season.

Last week, each of the celebrity contestants on the new line-up were paired up with their professional partners before being put to work in training ahead of their dance floor debut.

However, with 20 professional dancers in the new-look troupe, and only 15 contestants on the line-up, that does mean that five were left on the bench.

Long-time pro Gorka Márquez had already revealed that he wouldn’t be dancing with a celebrity partner in 2025 due to his commitments as a judge on the Spanish version of the show, with four more dancers also not competing this time around.

Neil Jones and Luba Mushtuk are bo

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