Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell revealed among first Strictly pairings
The celebrity competition returned amid controversy about the teaching methods of some former dancers on the show.
Comedian Chris McCausland and professional dancer Dianne Buswell have been announced as Strictly Come Dancing partners for the 2024 series.
The show, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, returned on Saturday to BBC One amid controversy about the alleged teaching methods of some former dancers.
Presenter Claudia Winkleman told McCausland that the pairings of Buswell and him were dreamy, to which he replied joking: “She is absolutely over the moon having me because she really wants November off.
“You’ve got a holiday booked, haven’t you, so she’s made-up.”
Buswell replied that her mother and father are “coming over” from Australia to watch her on the show in November.
When asked to explain how the show works, Buswell told the show’s first blind contestant: “Firstly, I am a big fan of yours. I’m so excited and honoured to be your partner.
“Secondly, I can’t answer that yet as I’m not sure myself how it’s going to work.”
Liverpool-born McCausland said: “Yes, we’re going to figure it out together. We’re going to make mistakes and have a laugh about them. Then we’re going to turn up here and show you all of the mistakes that we’ve learnt.”
Before this, the 47-year-old said he was not sure if he could do the competition “logistically”.
He added that he “didn’t know any of the dances”, as he is not able to watch the show, and he was unsure what he was getting himself into.
McCausland said that he had to get “the jokes” in early, as he will be gone in “three weeks”.
Also revealed so far is opera singer Wynne Evans, partnered with professional Katya Jones; singer and actor Shayne Ward becoming paired with Nancy Xu; and EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick ending up with Michelle Tsiakkas.
Ward said he “humbly” wanted to win it, and had been practising in front of the mirror.
