Strictly Come Dancing is set to go through another huge shake up before it even begins, as 15 new celebs head to the dancefloor to compete for the Glitterball trophy22:19, 22 Aug 2026Strictly Come Dancing is about to undergo a huge shake-up as it returns to previously ditched format. The show, which has already faced several changes this year, is set to scrap the introductory video tapes it that it had been using to reveal the whom had been coupled with whom.In recent years, the launch show had seen the Strictly celebs head to locations across the country to meet the pro dancer they would be partnered with for the rest of the competition. But the show has now decided to return to its pre-Covid format in which the partnerships would be announced live in the studio, with the dancers and celebs finding out at the same time as the audience.The news was revealed on Radio Northampton when Graeme Hall, one of this year's contestants, said: "This year, they're doing it slightly differently. We don't find out until the launch show. You have no say in it, the pros have no say in it."The launch show is set to air on 19 September. It is pre-recorded, so those watching at home will be finding out slightly later than the contestants, and it will air the week before the live shows begin.This year's contestants were announced over several weeks, starting in June. Over the summer, the names were slowly released to the public. The crop of celebs taking part this year are: Lacey Turner, Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem, Chris Appleton, Cach Mercer, Jaime Winstone, Will Best, Sean Wright-Phillips, Bethany Antonia, Graeme Hall, Lawrence Robb, John Nellis, Tabby Stoecker, Dame Sarah Storey and Melanie Walters.Fans have previously expressed disappointment in the line-up, with some saying they were unimpressed with the calibre of celebrity taking part. Most critics took complaint with Kim Kardashian's hairdresser Chris Appleton taking part, and dog trainer Graeme Hall, as they felt they were not famous enough.Following Graeme's announcement on 5 August, many asked who he was and one said the BBC were "scraping the bottom of the barrel".Another slammed the line-up as "boring", saying: "Genuinely who even are half the people doing strictly this year, apart from like three people this is the most boring lineup ever"A third said: "This has got to be one of weakest line ups". Similar was said at the time of Chris Appleton's announcement a fan joked: "Looking forward to Katie Price ’s cleaner joining the line up".Many pros from previous years are returning, but the show has also welcomed several new pro dancers, as Strictly said goodbye to Gorka Marquez, Karen Hauer, Michelle Tsiakkas, Luba Mushtuk and Nadiya Bychkova earlier this year. Former pro Johannes Radebe also won't compete this year, as he is one of the new hosts.In the middle of last year's season, long time hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly announced they were quitting the show. As such, new hosts had to be found for this year, and the BBC decided to appoint three people to the role - Johannes, comedian Josh Widdicombe and presenter Emma Willis.The change didn't stop there, as former pro dancer turned It Takes Two host Janette Manrara and her co-presenter Fleur East have left the spin off show. They were replaced by Ellie Taylor, who has taken part in Strictly as a contestant.Article continues belowLike this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.
Strictly Come Dancing set to undergo big shake-up ahead of launch show
Strictly Come Dancing is set to go through another huge shake up before it even begins, as 15 new celebs head to the dancefloor to compete for the Glitterball trophy









