Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke says that he is “looking forward” to watching Nick Knowles trot out his builder dance moves on the BBC One show.
The series, returning on Saturday, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and has Knowles, who presented the home renovation show DIY SOS, as a contestant along with comedian Chris McCausland, who is the first blind competitor on the show.
Over the last year, the celebrity dance competition has been caught up in controversy following allegations over the treatment of contestants by their professional partners.
Amanda Abbington made accusations about the behaviour of her Strictly partner, Giovanni Pernice, which he strongly rejected.
An investigation was launched by the corporation, and the results of the probe are yet to be made public.
Among the 2024 line-up is opera singer Wynne Evans, JLS star JB Gill, singer Toyah Willcox, reality TV star Pete Wicks, Love Island star Tasha Ghouri, and The X Factor winner, Shayne Ward.
When asked what he thinks of this year’s hopefuls, Du Beke said: “I think it’s going to be a brilliant cast this year. I’m particularly looking forward to seeing Nick Knowles. I know that he’s got a couple of builders’ dance moves.”
Du Beke also claimed that “you can spot your finalists from the first day when they walk into the room in fact, but you can’t spot a winner because that’s up to the audience” due to the way the voting is decided.
However, head judge Shirley Ballas is less sure that this can be always clear, citing comedian Bill Bailey, who won in 2020 with Oti Mabuse.
Ballas said: “When I saw Bill Bailey come down the stairs in his gold trousers, I thought, ‘Oh, I’m not sure about this young man.’ I wasn’t quite sure, and then he went on to win it. He had an exemplary work ethic.
“He studied all the dances and what countries they came from. He took the criticism on board amazingly well and came back every week trying his absolute best.
“Luckily, he went on to win the show, and that was marvellous. So, just because you’re the best dancer doesn’t mean you’ll win the show.”
Elsewhere judge Motsi Mabuse said walking out onto the ballroom for the show “reminds me of the responsibility and the joy that comes with being part of this show”.
She added: “There’s always a little bit of nerves, but it’s the good kind – the kind that reminds me of how much I care about what I do.”
Fellow judge Craig Revel Horwood has similar feelings.
He said: “The reason I’m nervous is for the contestants because they’ve worked hard all week for that one performance.
“Because it’s live, there’s no turning back. Whatever happens on that day happens, and even professionals have made mistakes over the years.
“There’s no escaping it, and you just don’t know how it’s going to go on the night.”
Strictly Come Dancing returns at 7.20pm on Saturday at BBC One.
