Strictly Come Dancing to have first same-sex male couple in latest series

Strictly will have a same-sex male couple in its latest season, according to reports. This would be a first for the BBC's flagship dancing competition, after years of speculation.

In the ramp-up to the latest season, the rumor mill has been spinning double-time as to who'll be in this year's celeb lineup. If whispers that Sophie Wessex, the royal family member tipped for Strictly Come Dancing this year, isn't enough to whet your appetite—this potential pairing ought to hit all the right notes.

The news comes a year after Nicola Adams and Katya Jones made history in 2020's season. Their appearance proved a success, despite judge Len Goodman's concerns over the show's first same-sex couple.

According to The Sun, big names being suggested for the historic pairing include British Olympian Tom Daley and comedian Alan Carr.

Strictly has already featured an all-male couple on the show, but only for one dance. The performance in question featured professionals Johannes Radebe and Graziano Di Prima. 

At the time of the show Johannes, who himself is gay, told Hello! that he never, "felt so liberated." The Strictly pro added, "for the first time in my life, I feel accepted for who I am. That says so much about the people of this country."

Although many were delighted to behold such a sight, the carefully choreographed routine garnered nearly 200 complaints from viewers, according to the Guardian.

Despite the onslaught, the BBC held strong and backed up their decision to feature the dance. In a statement the BBC said Strictly was "proud to have featured same sex dancing amongst the professional dancers in group numbers in previous series."

Graziano, who according to reports is the professional in line for the gig, had his own say after the groundbreaking performance.

You might also like...

Apps for over 50s dating – including ones for serious relationship hunters — there's plenty of options out there to help you find the one, here are our favorites.

READ NOW

Choosing to ignore the few nay-sayers he told Attitude that he chose to be overwhelmed by the positive response the show garnered. He said there were, "millions of people writing to us, sending us videos saying thank you and celebrating our friendship."

The dancer added, “Why should I care about 200 people? Are you kidding me? Those 200 people, you will see that in the future they will change their minds."