Two Strictly Come Dancing stars and their real-life partners were seen enjoying a double ‘date night’ amid reports that a shake-up is on the cards for the hit dance show.
There has been speculation of a professional dancer ‘cull’ on Strictly ahead of the 2026 series. No details have been officially confirmed by the BBC, with a statement reading: “Plans for Strictly Come Dancing 2026 will be confirmed in due course.”
However, one of the shake-ups viewers will see this year is to the hosting line-up after Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman stepped down at the end of the 2025 series. In October, Tess and Claudia confirmed their plans to step down from the popular programme at the end of the 2025 series, with the news coming as a shock to their co-stars and fans.
But away from the reports, the Strictly stars have been sharing updates as usual and this week, Kai Widdrington and Lauren Oakley were reunited for both dancing and personal purposes.
Fans will recall that Kai joined the popular programme back in 2021. The dancer was among those seen competing during the most recent run of Strictly at the end of last year, having been paired with reality star and presenter Vicky Pattison.
Meanwhile, Lauren has been part of the hit dance show since 2022 and those who follow the BBC One competition know that Lauren was recently seen participating in the show’s 2025 series with former footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasslebaink.
Amidst Strictly hitting the headlines, Kai and Lauren were reunited and alongside their partners, Chloe Wells and Maximiliano Omar Montes de Oca, as they headed to see Strictly 2025 contestant George Clarke on tour with his podcast, The Useless Hotline, which he co-hosts with Max Balegde.
Alongside a smiling snap of the foursome, which Kai posted to his Instagram Story, the 30-year-old star said: “Date night @theuselesshotlinepod.” Lauren reshared the post and then said: “Come on @georgeclarkeey [raising hands emoji].”
And fans were quick to share the update on other social media platforms. @clarkeyslesbian said: “kai and lauren at the useless hotline podcast show omg miss the strictly cast so much.” @ultimatesugg replied: “Ahhh love this. Wonder if they know what they’re in for?” @overthestreetss added: “No I actually smiled when I saw this it’s so cute.”