BBC Strictly star Montell Douglas drops cryptic clue on identity of dance partner with social media move
Strictly Come Dancing star Montell Douglas may have dropped a cryptic clue about her dancer partner
BBC
Eagle-eyed Strictly Come Dancing fans may have noticed one of this year's stars has dropped a cryptic clue as to who she has potentially been partnered with.
The beloved BBC series is returning next month and the broadcaster has just revealed the full line-up for the series, with Gladiators star Montell Douglas among them.
The way in which Douglas, 38, was confirmed as a contestant raised eyebrows last week as the announcement came via online gaming platform, Roblox.
On her sign-up, which was revealed on Friday, Olympian Douglas commented: "Wow, I am so honoured to have been asked to do the show. It is such an amazing thing to be a part of and I can’t wait to get started.
"Hopefully a few of my Gladiator moves will come in handy with the Tango or Paso Doble!"
The news was confirmed on the set of Gladiators filming at the Sheffield Utilita Arena and her bespoke Roblox character was also revealed on the platform on BBC Wonder Chase.
Strictly Come Dancing star Montell Douglas may have dropped a cryptic clue about her dancer partner
BBC
The line-up update was the first ever to be made via the game creation system, which many complained they didn't have "access" to as it requires an account.
Despite the fact the celebrity contestants for this year have been confirmed, the professional dance partner pairings remains under wraps, usually until shortly before the series launch.
Douglas, who stars as Fire on sports game show Gladiators, seems to have dropped a subtle hint as to who she has been partnered with though.
At the moment, she's only following one Strictly pro on Instagram: Nikita Kuzmin. The Mirror reports Ukrainian Kuzmin was also the only professional to congratulate Kuzmin upon the announcement of her sign-up.
This could mean the two have been paired as partners for the series and could be competing together.
Strictly Come Dancing is returning to BBC One next month
BBC
However, no couples have been officially announced and fans will have to wait a few weeks before fining out how the famous faces and dancers have been paired.
Kuzmin, 26, who starred in Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year, has starred in three series of the competition after joining in 2021.
He reached the final last year after being paired with actor and singer Layton Williams.
He gained more fans during his stint in this year's Celebrity Big Brother and was voted into second place, with David Potts beating him to be crowned winner.
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Strictly star Nikita Kuzmin might have been partnered with Montell Douglas
BBC
Meanwhile, Montell has competed at the Olympics in multiple sports, including sprinting and bobsleigh.
Also making their dance floor debuts this year alongside Douglas is Olympian Tom Dean, EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick, The X Factor winner Shayne Ward, Miranda actress Sarah Hadland, Love Island's Tasha Ghouri, reality star Pete Wicks, JLS star JB Gill, singer Wynne Evans, 80s icon Toyah Willcox, BBC Morning Live star Dr Punam Krishnan, comedian Chris McCausland, TV presenter Nick Knowles, former footballer and broadcaster Paul Merson and Olympian Sam Quek.
The BBC issued a statement on Tuesday after it came under fire for its "male heavy" line-up, which saw many assuming the reason for there being more men in this year's series is thanks to the ongoing BBC "misconduct" investigation.
However, the BBC has claimed the loss of Di Prima and Pernice isn't what resulted in a male-heavy cast, insisting there is "no hard and fast rule" when it comes to picking the number of men or women in the line-up.