The Strictly Come Dancing class of 2026 came together for the first time on Thursday as they headed to their first dance rehearsals. Despite fans branding the lineup the 'worst ever' in the show's 22-year run, the contestants still looked in great spirits as they arrived at the studio in London. Ready to give Strictly another go after an injury forced her out of last year's lineup was Dani Dyer, who flashed a smile as she walked in.Dani – who was paired with Nikita Kuzmin last year but fractured her ankle before the first show – looked effortlessly stylish in a black top and leopard print skirt. Also looking chic was Delta Goodrem, who paired a white top with a brown leather skirt and towering heels. Meanwhile, Jaime Winstone embraced the UK heatwave in a pair of denim hotpants and brown cowboy boots. The Strictly Come Dancing class of 2026 came together for the first time on Thursday as they headed to their first dance rehearsals (pictured: Dani Dyer) Despite fans branding the lineup the 'worst ever' in the show's 22-year run, the contestants still looked in great spirits as they arrived at the studio in London (pictured: Delta Goodrem, left, and Jaime Winstone) Gavin & Stacey actress Melanie Walters, who was announced as the final star to join the line up this week, couldn't stop beaming as she met up with her fellow contestants.Also in this year's lineup is EastEnders' Lacey Turner; celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton; Love Island star Cach Mercer; Big Brother host Will Best; and Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey. They are joined by House Of The Dragon's Bethany Antonia; footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips; presenter Graeme 'The Dogfather' Hall; Emmerdale's Lawrence Robb; YouTuber John Nellis and Olympian Tabby Stoecker.Strictly is one of the BBC's most popular shows, with millions tuning in every weekend and the professional dancers quickly becoming household names. This year, however, there's been one big problem – that the dancers are better known than the 'stars' they're set to partner up with. YouTuber John, for example, doesn't even have a Wikipedia page. But that doesn't seem to matter to producers, who are said to have specifically selected stars who have large social media followings.Stars such as Kim Kardashian's hair stylist Chris might not be a household name, but he does boast a huge social media following with 4million fans on Instagram. John has an even bigger fanbase, with 15.7million YouTube subscribers. Ready to give Strictly another go after an injury forced her out of last year's lineup was Dani, who flashed a smile as she walked in Dani - who was paired with Nikita Kuzmin last year but fractured her ankle before the first show - looked effortlessly stylish in a black top and leopard print skirt Dani also shared a selfie on her way to the studios Also looking chic was Delta, who paired a white top with a brown leather skirt and towering heels. She accessorised with a small snake print handbag Jaime Winstone embraced the UK heatwave in a pair of denim hotpants and cowboy boots Gavin & Stacey actress Melanie Walters, who was announced as the final star to join the line up this week, couldn't stop beaming as she met up with her fellow contestants EastEnders star Lacey Turner looked summery in a pastel striped midi dress Love Island's Cache Mercer sported a grey vest and baggy jeans Celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton opted for double denim in a shirt and jeans Chris was spotted giving fellow Strictly star Lawrence Robb a hug Lawrence was casually clad in a navy vest paired with white trousers and sandals Former footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips opted for a black T-shirt and white trousers Graeme 'The Dogfather' Hill kept things casual in a paisley shirt and shorts Olympian Tabby Stoecker paired a white vest with linen trousers and flip flops Tabby also shared a throwback from when she met last year's Strictly contestant Montell Douglas who taught her how to waltzHowever, loyal fans have been left scratching their heads over the lineup, with many of the comments on the Strictly social posts asking who the celebrity is, rather than expressing any excitement. Indeed, while bosses may be keen to attract Gen Z – the majority of Strictly viewers are in fact Gen X and Baby Boomers. Audience demographic data indicates that around 60 per cent of the audience is aged 55 or older, putting the average viewer age firmly in the mid-50s and above. Yet this year, it's time for an overhaul, with suggestions Strictly is following a similar, hugely successful social media strategy employed by its US counterpart Dancing With The Stars. Dancing With The Stars has used their celebrity contestants' followings to their advantage, introducing a TikTok Night last year – an episode which saw the contestants perform viral dance routines, sparking an uptick in interaction from younger viewers.The Dancing With The Stars TikTok account now has more than 5million followers, in comparison to Strictly's 670,000.'Although your traditional Strictly audience might not know who some of the signings are, that's not as important as bringing in new viewers who are more than familiar with them,' a source told The Sun.'Their followers are vast in numbers, enthusiastic and, by sharing content on Strictly, raise the profile of the show massively.'And, in time, the viewers who don't know these people get to know them. If anything they end up going on much more of a "Strictly Journey" than the stars you'd describe as "household names."'