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Dani Dyer and Vicky Pattison are two stars who have a strong claim to not fall victim to the Strictly curse as tonight’s Strictly Come Dancing 2025 launch show kicks off.

The new series of Strictly Come Dancing starts tonight with the celebrity and pro dancer pairings revealed for the first time.

But two contestants who say they aren’t worried about the so-called ‘Strictly Curse’ – where celebs fall in love with their dance partners even if they are already married or in relationships – are Vicky Pattison and Dani Dyer.

Both shot to fame on reality shows – Vicky, 37, on Geordie Shore and 29-year-old Dani on Love Island, which she won with then boyfriend Jack Fincham only to split months after the show ended.

Dani has since gone on to have a four-year-old son Santi with another ex, Sammy Kimmence, before meeting current partner, West Ham and England footballer Jarrod Bowen, who she welcomed twins, Summer and Star, with last summer.

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Just a few months ago, the couple wed in the opulent The Langley hotel in Buckinghamshire in a ceremony in the Bridgerton style. While Vicky and her long-term partner Ercan Ramadan tied the knot in August of 2024 at Marylebone Town Hall in London.

Speaking to the Daily Mail Weekend magazine, as they graced the cover, Dani said “I’m newlywed for God’s sake”, when asked for her thoughts on the Strictly curse.

Although she claims that her new mother-in-law, who she refers to as “a bit of a white witch,” both knew who her professional dance partner would be and who she would be on the show this year. The identity of the actor will have to be revealed until tonight, though.

Vicky is also adamant that when asked if she might get the hots for her dance partner, she would never fall for the “cure.” She remarked, “Have you seen my husband? ” The dancers are lovely lads, but he is gorgeous and wonderful in every way.

La Voix, the 45-year-old drag queen who is the first drag queen to compete in the show, is one of the contestants who will make history this year.

While 23-year-old Ellie Goldstein, is the first person with Down’s Syndrome to appear on Strictly main show. The model has previously appeared on the cover of British Vogue and other high fashion magazines.

Other celebs taking to the dance floor in a bid to win the coveted Glitterball trophy this year are EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal, 46, who is best known for playing Suki Panesar-Unwin in the BBC soap.

She will be joined by actress Alex Kingston, 62, known for her roles on shows like Doctor Who and medical drama ER, Neighbours legend Stefan Dennis, 66, who played Paul Robinson and Good Morning Britain and Lorraine correspondent Ross King, 63.

Sports stars taking part are rugby ace Chris Robshaw, 39, retired footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, 53, former Lioness footballer turned pundit Karen Carney, 38, and Gladiators star Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, 37, who is known as Nitro on the show.

YouTuber and podcaster George Clarke, 25, has also been signed up. But this year’s most controversial contestant so far – former The Apprentice star Thomas Skinner, 34, who has hit the headlines this week after admitting he cheated on his wife just weeks after their wedding in 2022. Quite how he’ll go down with the public we’ll have to see…

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Ross Kemp, a former EastEnders star, has spoken out about what the St George’s Cross means to him after protests took place in London last weekend. He has expressed his outrage at far-right activities.

Ross Kemp has no intention of letting the far-right claim his beloved St George’s Cross, and he is as English as rainy days, sticky pub floors, and fish ‘n’ chips.

The actor and documentary maker has been disturbed by recent instances in which the English flag has been used as a bulwark against the right. Thousands of people chanted offensive slogans and slammed the flag at the Unite the Kingdom rally last weekend as they waved it.

But EastEnders legend Ross says: “If it’s hijacked by other people for their means, then that’s entirely up to them, but that’s not what it means to me.

Simply put, being English is. Being English is very important to me.

It reads, “It’s on the back of a rugby shirt, not the back of an English football shirt.” When winning an Olympic medal, athletes don it regardless of their color or religion. It’s the norm, in my opinion. The mainstream is represented by the flag.

Ross made his EastEnders debut as Grant Mitchell 35 years ago and has since travelled the world through his Bafta-winning documentary work.

He was the ideal choice when looking for a host to host 40 Years on the Square, a show that celebrated EastEnders’ anniversary earlier this year.

He claims that it was a good look back at 40 years of British culture.

“I think it really showed how things in the 80s and 90s have evolved into acceptable and commonplace, as they should be,” said one critic.

In the 1960s and 1970s, people wouldn’t show domestic violence on TV because it was “like gay and lesbian relationships” like domestic violence.

“I think EastEnders was quite groundbreaking; it still is, in fact, because it continues to tell stories that would be too dry to watch in a documentary.

However, if they are centered on a storyline with intriguing characters, it can be effective at educating or explaining what is happening.

During his time on the BBC soap, Ross formed a close relationship with his on-screen mother, the late Barbara Windsor, who played Peggy Mitchell.

Babs passed away in 2020 at the age of 83, but she continues to be a part of his life.

He says, “Oh, Barbara’s never far away,” with fondness. In my office, I have a photo of her, and I speak with her widower frequently. I had a very positive relationship with Barbara and we got along very well.

“I delivered her a funeral eulogy.” She and I had a very special relationship, and we were very close.

“And it’s interesting that a lot of people frequently pass away. Does she not appear to have significantly faded away? That demonstrates how long she spent with the public and how much time she had for them.

Ross, like his late co-star, respects soap fans and refuses to criticize the television series that earned him a star.

He acknowledges that some jobs may not be available for him because of his role as such an iconic character.

He admits, “I’d like to do a little more acting,” to be honest. The spice of life is abundance. I have a lot of freedom to switch between those genres and produce programs about interesting subjects.

“I don’t rule out anything,” he says. Some people, in my opinion, do soaps and then pretend to never be there because they succeed elsewhere. And if that’s the way they want to proceed, I admire that. There’s no problem with that at all.

I don’t look very different from Grant Mitchell, so I don’t think it would be difficult for me to change my hairstyle! Without Grant, I’ve always been very honest about the fact that I don’t believe I would have received a documentary commission.

Ross Kemp, who won a Bafta for Best Factual Series in 2006 for his role in Gangs, says: “It was up to me as Ross Kemp to make it as good of a documentary as I possibly could.

“I’ve won a few documentary awards, and I’m very proud of the team I work for, and they’ve grown close friends over the years.

What I’ll say is, “If I have the opportunity to act in something I think is good and they want me,” I’ll accept the position.

Just in time for her Strictly Come Dancing appearance, Daniel Dyer made a personalised multi nameplate necklace in a stunning tribute to her children.

Ready for her first appearance on this year’s Strictly Come Dancing, contestant Dani Dyer has been showing fans some behind the scenes snaps, with one in particular causing a stir with fans. In one photo, the former Love Island winner showed off a stunning nameplate necklace she’d had made with each of her children’s names – Summer, Star and Santi (short for Santiago) – that fans couldn’t get enough of.

While many others pleaded for more details, one comment read, “Loved the necklace.” Our sleuthing abilities led to an identical necklace, which is made by Dani from Abbott Lyon, despite the fact that she didn’t disclose where she had purchased it.

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We’re not sure for sure, but Dani made the exact same necklace in honor of her children, which we are pretty certain. The Abbott Lyon necklace, which comes in either gold or silver with a cubic zirconia crystal finish, can be customized to have five different names added to it.

The brand is popular with other celebs, with both Stacey Solomon and Olivia Attwood both recently launching their very own collections with Abbott Lyon, so it wouldn’t be a surprise that Dani has taken a leaf out of their book. The Multi Crystal Cursive Name Necklace is also pretty affordable, costing between £95 for two names or up to £110 for five different names, and if you use the code TAKE10 you’ll save 10% – bringing it down to £85.50 – not to mention orders over £79 get a free bracelet worth £49.

Each name can fit up to eight characters, and you can also customize the chain length. The Crystal Cursive Name Necklace is made of 18k gold-plated stainless steel that is heat, sweat, and water resistant.

If you’re looking for some sparkles, you could also purchase the Miami Multiple Name Necklace at PRYA. The necklace has been reduced from £78 for two names to £68 for five, making it a significant saving. Typically, it costs £78 for two names, or £128 for five.

The Multiple Name Necklace from Abiza is available at Not on the High Street for something a little dainty, and it currently costs 20% less, cutting the price from £53 to £43.40. The cost of adding up to four names is £22.40, or £65.80, plus an extra fee.

However, if you want to copy Dani’s style, Abbott Lyon’s Crystal Cursive Name Necklace is your best option. It appears that shoppers are also a big fan of the necklace. Although there are only two reviews right now, both are five stars, with one simply stating, “Beautiful necklace.”

While the second said, “I brought this for my sister because she was almost crying because I didn’t tell her that I was going to order something like this.” It turned out to be outstanding and took extra care to make it happen.

Whilst the necklace makes a great treat for yourself, it also makes a beautiful meaningful gift – especially as we start to head towards Christmas. And don’t forget to take advantage of the discount code while it’s still available – you can keep the free bracelet for yourself, or consider it one Christmas gift to cross off your list!