Bethany Antonia for Strictly Come Dancing 2026 / BBC
The new series of Strictly Come Dancing will reportedly see actress Bethany Antonia partnered with a female pro.
The show broke ground in 2020 when it featured its first same-sex pairing as boxer Nicola Adams was matched with Katya Jones – and since then there have been several other same-sex duos.
The most recent partnership saw dancer Layton Williams form a fan-favourite couple with Nikita Kuzmin in 2023, when they finished as runners-up.
According to The Sun, producers have decided that House of the Dragon star Antonia will get a female professional partner this year after she “specifically requested she be partnered with a woman”.
Meanwhile, the newspaper says that celebrity hairdresser Chris Appleton, who is gay, requested to be paired up with a woman rather than a man.
All of this year’s pairings were made official last night in the pre-record of this year’s launch show, although the BBC is not expected to officially confirm any duos until the episode airs on Saturday, September 19.
