Strictly Come Dancing fans were left delighted after Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu were confirmed as the 2026 same-sex couple
The 2026 Strictly Come Dancing pairings have now been officially revealed.
Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe presented the pre-recorded launch programme on Saturday (September 19) evening, which saw 15 celebrities matched with a professional dancing partner.
In an unprecedented move for Strictly, the famous participants discovered their partners through a completely new format never previously used on the programme.
The celebrities and professional dancers were divided into groups, with each group learning a specific routine before being paired up “like speed dating”.
As the music began, they danced while the hosts regularly called out “change partners” and they would switch. The sequence continued until the presenters halted the music and ultimately informed them they would be performing together, reports the Daily Star.
Viewers expressed their delight after discovering House of the Dragon actor Bethany Antonia has been matched with professional dancer Nancy Xu, and quickly took to social media to share their enthusiasm.
Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, one viewer posted: “Bethany and Nancy same sex partnership we wonnn.” Another commented: “I need Bethany and Nancy to be good omg #Strictly.”
A third viewer remarked: “I love Bethany and Nancy together they are so precious #strictly.” Someone else concurred: “Nancy and Bethany have my heart #strictly.”
A fifth added: “I had a feeling they’d pair Bethany and Nancy together the vibe was right #strictly.”
Upon discovering they would be partnered together, Bethany said: “I just feel so happy. We just bonded instantly like day one. We weren’t supposed to have a preference but I was like I kinda do.”
Nancy said: “I’m trying to control myself. I’m shaking still and something has gonne but the excitement is here and I cannot wait for this partnership. I am just so happy.”
There have been just five same-sex celebrity and professional pairings in Strictly’s history. Former boxer Nicola Adams and professional Katya Jones became the inaugural same-sex couple but were forced to withdraw after four weeks when the former tested positive for Covid.
12 months later, Johannes Radebe and celebrity chef John Whaite became the first same-sex duo to reach the final, while comedian Jayde Adams and dancer Karen Hauer were also matched in 2022.
In 2023, all-male duo Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin progressed to the final, and while 2024 featured no same-sex couples, 2025 saw RuPaul Drag Race UK star La Voix partnered with Aljaž Škorjanec, though they weren’t formally classified as a same-sex partnership because she performed as a female character alongside a male professional.
The pair followed the programme’s traditional mixed-sex ballroom framework rather than a same-sex arrangement, and La Voix indicated in interviews that she wished to participate entirely as her female comedy character.
Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday, September 26 at 6.15pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer
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