Who will win BBC Strictly and who will be booted in Week One? GBN's Entertainment Editor's predictions in full

But nevertheless... the show must go on.

In case you've been living under a glitter-covered rock for the past seven days, the full Strictly line-up is as follows: Paul Merson, Wynne Evans, Toyah Willcox, Nick Knowles, Shayne Ward, JB Gill, Tasha Ghouri, Jamie Borthwick, Pete Wicks, Sarah Hadland, Montell Douglas, Tom Dean, Punam Krishan, Sam Quek and Chris McCausland.

But who will win and who will be hanging up their dancing shoes before being barely able to break them in? Here are my week-by-week predictions for this year's Strictly.

Week One (the first elimination after launch) - Paul Merson

It pains me to say it as a football and Soccer Saturday fan, but I don't see Merse lasting any longer than Week One - and I don't think he'd mind that either.

The former Arsenal midfielder's old teammate Tony Adams made it eight weeks in the competition before deciding to withdraw after realising his spot in the contest was becoming a bit of a joke - and I don't see that being repeated with Merse.

Plus, the football season will have just kicked off by the time he steps onto the dancefloor and I can't help but think he'll be missing his cushy Sky Sports News chair before too long.

Week Two - Wynne Evans

The Go Compare man may have admirable musical prowess when it comes to his voice but jiving and waltzing may be a stretch too far.

At 52, I don't see Evans replicating the success of middle-aged surprise package Bill Bailey and his calibre of celebrity will let him down with the public vote.

However, I am willing to admit I could be way off on this as the proud Welshman has vowed to do his country proud and if the nation gets behind, I may be eating humble pie.

Week Three - Toyah Willcox

In my eyes, the first female casualty of the series is likely to be the '80s singer.

At 66, Willcox is the oldest member of the cast and while Angela Rippon set the dancefloor alight despite her age (79!) last year, I struggle to see Willcox doing the same.

She also gave the impression during her introduction interview with Vernon Kay that she's rather feisty, and in a year that chaperones will monitor training and every last interaction will be scrutinised, Willcox may find rehearsals rather difficult.

Week Four - Nick Knowles

A popular figure with the BBC, Knowles could well prove me wrong on this but I cannot imagine the DIY SOS presenter will be able to channel his inner Len Goodman.

He'll survive a few weeks purely because of his public popularity (he finished sixth on I'm A Celebrity) but in terms of ballroom ability, Knowles will come up short.

Similar to Merse, I can imagine Knowles won't be too disheartened with a Week Four exit and that the rigours of the rehearsal room may leave him yearning to don his hard hat and get back to renovating a derelict four-bed townhouse.

Week Five - Chris McCausland

McCausland signing up to Strictly is already a commendable feat given that he's become the show's first-ever blind contestant.

The hilarious comic has admitted he's no clue how to dance - quipping he's "never seen myself dance" - but the effort he'll undoubtedly have to put in will cement him as one of the popular picks of the series.

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Strictly viewers love nothing more than seeing someone start from zero ability and build their way up and combined with not letting his disability hinder him, McCausland's stock with the public will see him through a good chunk of the competition before his castmates' performances outshine him with the judges.

Week Six - Punam Krishan

Krishan's exit could be one of the biggest talking points of the series.

The Morning Live star and NHS GP is a relative unknown to those who don't watch the BBC at 9:30am on a weekday and, unfortunately, that may be her downfall.

Other stars in the line-up simply have too vast a fanbase in comparison for Krishan to compete, but I've no doubt she'll surprise many with her ability on the dancefloor.

That being said, Countryfile cameraman Hamza Yassin shocked the Strictly universe when he went from being a relative unknown to a Glitterball Trophy winner so Krishan could prove me wrong.

Week Seven - Pete Wicks

TOWIE lothario Wicks will make it just beyond the midway mark but I think many of the votes will have little to do with his footwork.

Wicks is a hugely personable, funny, charming and good-looking TV personality, and having starred in a plethora of reality TV shows to date, his popularity will likely grow with the - shall we say - more mature, female-dominant Strictly audience.

Wicks' close pal Zara McDermott was the fifth star eliminated last year and the TOWIE star may surpass her.

Week Eight - Sarah Hadland

53-year-old Hadland will be this year's Amanda Abbington if there was never a scandal bubbling away behind the scenes.

Abbington looked more than capable on the dancefloor before she withdrew and I can see Hadland replicating that success and style with whomever she's partnered up with.

She has a background in theatre and will dive headfirst into any challenge as a performer and I think she'll be unlucky to not reach the quarter-final stage.

Week Nine - Tom Dean

Team GB swimmer will emerge from Strictly with a new level of stardom away from the sporting world when his time in the ballroom comes to a close.

I admittedly didn't know much about Dean until the rumours of his Strictly stint emerged but from what I can see, he's a hugely likable and normal bloke with an incredible athletic gift.

And those are the exact attributes that will land you in good stead when competing on Strictly. A future in TV presenting beckons.

Week Ten - Sam Quek

Like Knowles, Quek is adored by higher-ups at the BBC and I can't imagine they'd have signed her up to see her bow out early.

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I can't see Quek having enough dancefloor ability to bag a spot in the final but I do see the judges keeping her in week after week after a string of dance-offs.

A quarter-final exit looms and perhaps one or two rows may emerge among fans after she usurps Dean and Hadland.

Week Eleven (the semi-final) - Montell Douglas

Narrowly missing out on a finale spot will be Olympian and Gladiators star Montell Douglas, AKA Fire.

The competitiveness needed to be both an Olympian AND a Gladiator can only mean she'll light up the Strictly ballroom week after week, and even if technical ability is lacking, Douglas will definitely make up for it with effort.

Unfortunately, I fear popularity and status with the public will be her only downfall and she'll be sent packing just seven days before the finale.

Week Twelve (the final) - Shayne Ward, Tasha Ghouri, Jamie Borthwick, JB Gill

Should there be no dramatic withdrawals, the BBC will likely put four competitors through to the final and they'll be X Factor winner Ward, former Love Islander Ghouri, EastEnders actor Borthwick and JLS singer Gill.

Ghouri will be - by some margin - the best dancer of the bunch. I'm talking scores of 40 for each of her finale dances - but she won't win.

With Ghouri, BBC bosses have opened themselves up to another "fix" row synonymous with that of Layton Williams in which he was by far the best technical dancer but lost out to an actress from Corrie.

Ghouri has a background in the performing arts and there are even reports she's been trained in some of the styles that will be on show during the competition.

That being said, I don't think it will be Albert Square fan-favourite Borthwick who'll replicate his fellow soap star Ellie Leach's glory.

Borthwick already set the dancefloor alight during the Strictly Christmas special and this will work against him with some viewers - not all, but just enough - when it comes to finale voting.

Gill could depart the show three or four weeks before the final but something tells me he'll make the final purely to avenge JLS bandmate Aston Merrygold's premature exit in 2017.

That leaves one man to lift the Glitterball Trophy and my early tip for glory is Shayne Ward.

He's got a history of winning a TV competition voted for by the public, his stint on Corrie cemented him as a hugely popular actor whose harrowing exit is still spoken about among soap fans to this day, his singing background didn't seem to veer too much towards the dance side so those sort of rows should subside, and he seems like an all-round nice bloke.

So there you have it, the guy who won X Factor almost two decades ago will soon be crowned King of the Ballroom. Mark my words.