Strictly Come Dancing Unveils Star-Studded 2025 Couples List

Strictly is back, the glitter cannon has been reloaded, and Saturday nights can stop looking so bare. The launch show dropped the full celeb-pro pairings and threw everyone into a big group routine to tease what this cast can actually do. Here’s who’s dancing with who this year, plus a few inside-baseball notes you might have missed.

All the couples

• Alex Kingston and Johannes Radebe
• Balvinder Sopal and Julian Caillon
• Chris Robshaw and Nadiya Bychkova
• Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin
• Ellie Goldstein and Vito Coppola
• George Clarke and Alexis Warr
• Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and Karen Hauer
• Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Lauren Oakley
• Karen Carney and Carlos Gu
• La Voix and Aljaž Škorjanec
• Lewis Cope and Katya Jones
• Ross King and Jowita Przystał
• Stefan Dennis and Dianne Buswell
• Thomas Skinner and Amy Dowden
• Vicky Pattison and Kai Widdrington

Quick take

Everyone hit the floor together for a first-look group number, which was more of a vibe check than a scoring situation, but it did its job: the season looks lively, and a few partnerships already pop. Live shows start in a week, which means next time out they’ll be judged and scored on their first proper dances.

New pros and who’s benched

Two new professionals have joined the lineup: Alexis Warr and Julian Collard, and both are paired this season. Inside baseball alert: the launch show also listed Balvinder Sopal’s partner as Julian Caillon. So yes, there’s a name discrepancy floating around; we’ll see which spelling the BBC locks in. On the bench this year with no celeb partners: Luba Mushtuk, Gorka Márquez, Nancy Xu, Neil Jones, and Michelle Tsiakkas.

What we don’t know yet

Song choices and specific dances for week one are still under wraps. Expect those to trickle out ahead of the live show.

When and where to watch

Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday 27th September on BBC One and iPlayer. Clear your evening.