Strictly Come Dancing faces a fresh row after a star of the Christmas special of the series wasrevealed to have undergone professional dance training as a child
A Strictly fix row has emerged over ignited after it was revealed that Scarlett Moffat, who is set to star in the Christmas special, was trained by one of the judges in the past. Scarlett, 35, was the first celebrity to be announced for the festive special after years of being linked to the show.
The popular TV personality is a major signing – but show insiders are reportedly angry that she is on the line-up because she was trained by Anton Du Beke as a child. She has already emerged as the favourite to win the Christmas glitterball due to her strong dancing experience.
A Strictly insider said: “Scarlett is a trained dancer, she is so good at it and spent much of her childhood doing ballroom and Latin dancing. Anton even helped her and now he will be judging her against others. It all feels very unfair.”
They continued to the Mail: “She will surely be the runaway winner and then the BBC will be desperate to sign her for the 2026 series. How would you feel if you were one of the others?”
Scarlett took part in national dance competitions as a child but stopped competing after going to university in York, where she replaced ballroom with drunken nights out. While she is already a favourite to win, Scarlett has insisted that she hasn’t picked up where she left off.
Speaking to The Sun this week, she explained: “It’s funny because I think in my brain, ‘oh yeah, that’s what I’m doing’. But then I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and I’m like, ‘oh, something’s not connected’.
“Because in my head I’m doing the moves that he’s saying. But then I look in the mirror and I’m like, ‘oh, that isn’t what I thought I would look like doing that’. I’m just having fun, and I think that’s the main thing, especially for the Strictly Christmas special. It’s the sheer joy of it.”
Scarlett returned to a competitive ballroom for the first time in 15 years at Blackpool‘s Winter Gardens in October 2024, achieving two 2nd places and two 3rd places with her dance partner Craig Andrew.
Scarlett – who gave birth to her son Jude by C-section in 2023 – told fans she’d “never been so nervous but so proud of myself” after returning to her childhood hobby.
She will now continue her dance journey while coupled with Italian Strictly professional dancer Vito Coppola. Vito, 33, previously won the Glitterball alongside Ellie Leach, and made it to the Strictly final on two other occasions.
Vito also won the Italian version of the show in the sole season he took part in. Scarlett revealed that she was desperately hoping to be paired with him, and was delighted when she got her wish, admitting, “there’s something about the way that he dances and his energy“.
Scarlett is currently preparing for her Strictly stint while rehearsing for panto in Northwich as the Spirit of the Ring in Aladdin.
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Source: Mirror
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