Tonight marked the return of Strictly Come Dancing as the Premiere show introduced this year’s celebrity contestants, and revealed who they would be dancing with as they embark on their journey towards the Glitterball trophy.
Sir Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly introduced each celebrity to their partner, and the pairings are as follows:
Sophie Ellis Bextor and Brendan Cole
Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev
Deborah Meaden and Robin Windsor
Abbey Clancy and Aljaz Skorjanec
Fiona Fullerton and Anton du Beke
Natalie Gumede and Artem Chigvintsev
Vanessa Feltz and James Jordan
Susanna Reid and Kevin Clifton
Ashley Taylor Dawson and Ola Jordan
Julien Robinson and Janette Manrara
Patrick Robinson and Anya Garnis
Tony Jacklin and Aliona Vilani
Dave Myers and Karen Hauer
Ben Cohen and Kristina Rihanoff
Mark Benton and Iveta Lukosiute
The best reaction of the night came from Hollyaoks’ actor Ashley Taylor Dawson who proved his acting credentials, falling to the floor in shock as it was announced he would be dancing with Ola Jordan and for a split second leading Tess and the audience to believe he had actually fainted!