The special week of the BBC dancing competition will feature several familar faces
A former Strictly Come Dancing finalist has said they feel ‘physically sick’ as four legends prepare to return to the BBC dancing competition’s annual Blackpool week.
Preparations for Saturday night’s (November 22) live show from Blackpool Tower was disrupted earlier in the week when drag queen La Voix had to withdraw due to injury. It was then confirmed on Saturday night’s live show that La Voix would have to pull out of the series altogether.
With the race for the Glitterball Trophy heating up, Ashley Roberts, Danny Mac, Jay McGuiness and Layton Williams will join forces with Strictly’s Professional Dancers for a dazzling routine in Sunday’s (November 23) results show.
Each of the four former finalists will visit one of their most famous Strictly moments, before coming together for a joyful celebration of dance on that famous sprung floor in what marks one the most popular Strictly editions of the year.
Pussycat Dolls member Ashley, who danced with Pasha Kovalev in 2018 said: “It is wild! It’s been seven years since I did Strictly now and I can’t believe I’m now back. Blackpool is the marker, right? Everybody wants to get there. It’s truly legendary and iconic.
“I want that bouncy floor giving me a little extra something-something on the night! Blackpool was a huge night for me. It was my first time getting 10s across the board with Pasha, so I’m really excited to be asked back to dance with Danny, Jay, Layton and all of the pros.”
Teasing what to expect from her Jive, Ashley noted: “I was so nervous until one of the pros grabbed my hand and just started jive kicking. And I just thought, what is it? What is my body supposed to do? But I got there and it’s coming back! It was stored in the memory with a lot of cobwebs around it that we needed to clean out, but it was in there somewhere.”
Hollyoaks star Danny Mac, who plays Dodger on the Channel 4 soap and was taught the art of dance by Oti Mabuse in 2016, is feeling slightly more nervous. According to the actor, he’s gone through a ‘big mixture of emotions’ after agreeing to return to The Tower Ballroom with Strictly.
“It’s a big mixture of emotions. The most prevalent one is probably feeling quite physically sick! I’ve been back to Elstree Studios to watch the show and it’s just pure excitement, gratitude and joy because they are all the things you get from just being in the place. But as soon as you attach the idea of performing again it just gets quite terrifying,” he noted.
Danny added: “This piece of advice would be for the whole series, not just Blackpool, but just soak in every beat. Strictly is like nothing you will ever experience in your life. And utilise all of that and put that into your routine every week, because it’s all about putting on a show and having the time of your life.
“That was always our mindset. You put in the work on the technicals for the judges and put on a show for the audience. And if all the energy and all of the joy of what Strictly is gets pushed into that performance on the Saturday, that’s when you’re on to a winner!”
One man who knows how to win Strictly is Jay McGuinness, with The Wanted singer and Aliona Vilani winning the show’s 13th series in 2015. However, Jay is also nervous about taking to the dancefloor again.
“I feel I am having flashbacks to pre-show anxiety. Like, who gets the chance to come back to Strictly?! It’s very very rare. I wanted Strictly to have me back ever since it first happened. So I feel so lucky and I can’t believe I’m here, it’s really cool,” he said.
Asked what his favourite memory of performing in the Blackpool Ballroom is, Jay replied: “How can I pick one? I remember we did a huge group number that was full of us all doing the Lindy Hop, it felt like there were hundreds of us on the stage. The theatre of it all at Blackpool is just amazing.
“I remember we were buzzing, we were sat on the table at the back of the dance with all the Pros down at the front. And then we came zooming down among them – it was amazing! I also remember Anita Rani did a Paso Doble with red curtains flying everywhere. She was just amazing. It was one of those weeks where you go, woah I’ve just watched a dance that’s going to be replayed on YouTube for years.”
Bury native and Sex Education actor Layton Williams, who appeared on Strictly with Nikita Kuzmin in 2023, revealed that he’s ‘gassed to be back’ and he ‘never thought he’d dance at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom ever again’.
Noting that being ‘invited back is an honour’, Layton was full of praise for the class of 2025, saying: “They’re all killing it to be honest, so all I’d say is just enjoy the ride and book yourself a holiday in January – because you’ll have earned it!”
