The first night of Strictly Come Dancing kicks off on Saturday 23 September, but not all of the pro-dancers are feeling the heat of the competition, after they weren’t chosen to have celebrity partners.
Stars Nadiya Bychkova and Neil Jones weren’t picked to dance with the celebs this year.
After the reveal of pairing during the launch show last week, Nadiya broke her silence on the matter with a post on Instagram: "I'm sure you'll understand that I'm disappointed not to be partnered with a celebrity on @bbcstrictly this series."
Despite the let-down, Nadiya has stepped out with her six-year-old daughter, Mila, who she shares with Slovenian footballer Matija Škarabot and it was all smiles at the premiere of Cry Babies in London.
Also attending were lots of mother-daughter pairings, including Heidi Range and her daughter, Aurelia Partakis., as well as Zoe Birkett and her daughter, Aaria, along with Vanessa Feltz, Imogen Thomas and Judi Shekoni.
With pros not having a partner becoming hot debate, one ex-Strictly star has weighed in on the tricky subject of not being selected to compete for the Glitterball.
Former Strictly dancer Brendan Cole who was on the show for 15 years spoke to The Sun and claims “I wouldn't’ have stuck around” if the bosses hadn't continued to pair him up.
Brendan, 47, added: “If you're going to hire people, hire them. If you're not, don't hire them but to leave people in limbo and have them on a string – we say jump and you say how high – is not the way you do business in my world."
With Nadiya and Neil only being part of the group dances, Brendan insists it’s a matter of respect to give them a partner. “You gain respect from people by giving them security and giving them a passion about their jobs,” he says. “So for me, it’s not the way I would behave but, it’s a big show, they’ve got a lot to deal with.”
"I wouldn’t pretend to try and teach them how to run their ship because it’s a big one, but it’s a shame for both Neil and Nadiya."
Nadiya joined the competition in 2017 where she was paired with ex-EastEnders actor Davood Ghadami (who played Kush Kazemi). Nadiya then had four more celebrity pairings and got the furthest with Dan Walker where they finished in 4th place in 2019.
Currently, Nadiya is dating fellow Strictly pro Kai Widdrington, 28, who this year has been paired with Strictly Come Dancing's oldest ever contestant, Angela Rippon, 78.
Neil Jones has been on Strictly since 2016, but has only had two celebrity partners in eight years, Alex Scott and Nina Wadia.
But it’s not all sad news as Nadiya and Neil will appear on the show each week in the various group dances and routines.
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