Strictly Come Dancing 2013!

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for! The endless months deprived of fake tan and sequins are finally over! We no longer have to waltz alone with the washing up every Saturday night or Cha Cha down the street just to get our Ballroom fix. For this Friday we can put on our sparkly ballroom shoes and curl up on the sofa, because Strictly Come Dancing is back! This weekend we will be treated to a double dose of heel-toes and glitter balls. A spectacular array of Cha-Chas, Waltzes, Tangos and Jives will be showcased on both Friday and Saturday night. Although there will be no elimination this week, it will be a chance to see the celebrities in action for the first time. The 2013 line up, revealed in the glitzy, Oscars-style, red carpet launch show, looks promising. Already people are selecting their favourites, with Countdown’s Rachel Riley tipped to win. Pro-golfer Tony Jackline, however, seems to be the least favourite, yet as the 2010 runner-up Pamela Stephenson showed age should by no means prevent the contestants from excelling. This year, Strictly has received some criticism for including older contestants. After it was announced that the broadcaster Vanessa Feltz would be joining the show, X-Factor judge Louis Walsh reportedly asked ‘Who wants to see old people dancing anyway?!’. Whether this was just a case of friendly rivalry or not, thankfully Strictly has taken no heed and along with Vanessa, Bond girl Fiona Fullerton, Dragon’s Den entrepreneur Deborah Meaden and Hairy Biker Dave Myers will be shimmying across the dance floor. In addition, Hollyoaks star Ashley Taylor-Dawson, England Rugby player Ben Cohen, fashion designer Julien Macdonald, Waterloo Road star Mark Benton, Coronation Street star Natalie Gumede, BBC Breakfast News Presenter Susanna Reid, Casualty Star Patrick Robinson, pop singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor (so expect plenty of puns from Brucey and Craig about ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’) and model Abbey Clancy will be putting on their ballroom shoes. They haven’t even had their first dance yet, but the Strictly drama has already begun. Strictly professional Natalie Lowe had to bow out before the launch shoes due to an injury (although this didn’t stop her turning up to show her support on crouches). Now Natalie Gumede, Patrick Robinson have had to have treatment for knee pains caused by the gruelling training, while Anya Garnis, one of the new Strictly professionals, has injured her toe. This year’s celebrities all seem determined to win and have already done a combined 905 hours of intensive training, which should equate to some truly amazing performances. To quote Dave Myers here at Dancewear Central we are ‘as chuffed as nuts’ that a new series of Strictly Come Dancing is about to begin. So there will be no excuses- tomorrow at 9 p.m. BBC One- Strictly Come Dancing.