Anton Du Beke: Strictly has done ‘brilliant job of partnering everybody up’
The 57-year-old Strictly judge described the programme as a ‘once-in-a-lifetime thing’.
Anton Du Beke said Strictly Come Dancing has done a “brilliant job of partnering everybody up” after the celebrities were paired with their professional partners during a pre-recorded episode.
The launch episode, which was filmed on Wednesday but will air on September 16, saw the 15 contestants matched with their professional counterparts ahead of the live shows on BBC One.
“Everything’s OK in the world, Strictly is back on,” Du Beke told Lorraine Kelly on her ITV chat show.
The 57-year-old Strictly judge continued: “We have the launch show which we pre-record because it’s quite a technical thing, so we do it and on the 16th it is going to come out on BBC One.
“Last night we filmed the launch show where everybody gets partnered up.
“It’s such a lovely bunch and when they’re in the room, the energy is incredible, the excitement is through the roof (and) I think they’ve done a brilliant job of partnering everybody up.
“It’s one of those things where you go, ‘I can’t have imagined them dancing with anyone else’, so it was perfect and it’s really, really exciting.”
He later added: “The coupling is amazing, I can’t tell you.”
The 21st series of Strictly will see National Television Award winner Bobby Brazier among the contestants, alongside Paralympic champion Jody Cundy, former Coronation Street star Ellie Leach, and broadcaster Angela Rippon.
Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy will also star in the BBC’s flagship series, with Love Island’s Zara McDermott, Irish TV presenter Angela Scanlon and Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington.
Bad Education’s Layton Williams, comedian Eddie Kadi, Waterloo Road actor Adam Thomas and radio host Nikita Kanda will also all feature this year, alongside soap actor Nigel Harman, former British number one tennis player Annabel Croft and former Family Fortunes star Les Dennis.
On Thursday, former Strictly professional dancer Du Beke offered his advice to the celebrities, saying: “Enjoy the whole thing.
“Embrace it and take it all on and love every second of it, even when it’s really hard and your feet hurt and your brain is exploding and you might have had a bad weekend.
“But it’s fine because Monday morning we start again and it’s a new dance and we go again because it will be over in a flash… it is a once-in-a-lifetime thing and it is the most wonderful experience ever.”
The Strictly Come Dancing launch show will air on September 16 on BBC One.
