Strictly tour offers new adventures for celebrities

The Strictly Come Dancing live tour is going to be a "whole new adventure in my professional life," says Angela Rippon.

She was speaking at the launch of the live show which kicks off on Friday at the Birmingham Utilita Arena before visiting Sheffield, Newcastle, Glasgow, Leeds and Manchester, among other places.

The presenter and newsreader said she previously performed in front of hundreds of millions of people hosting programmes like the Eurovision Song Contest "but you don't see them, they're all at home watching".

"To actually do something in an arena of this size... this is going to be something quite different,"" she added.

Irish TV presenter Angela Scanlon joked she was "gobsmacked" by the whole thing.

She will be dancing with Carlos Gu for the 30-show tour.

"You come in and, on paper, an arena tour sounds exciting," she said.

"Then you come in and it's, yeah, jaw-droppingly large.

"So I feel like I'm in my Kylie era."

Tennis champion and presenter Annabel Croft, who will be partnered by Graziano Di Prima, described the tour as a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity".

"When I was first asked to do it, I just thought 'this is amazing'.

"I love watching professional dancers, I could watch them all day long.

"I've loved every minute, and I'd almost say it was the best thing I've ever, ever done."

Other participants include model Bobby Brazier who will be dancing with Dianne Buswell.

Journalist and broadcaster Krishnan Guru-Murthy will partner Jowita Przystal.

They will join Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola, Angela Rippon and Kai Widdrington and Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin to complete the line-up from the last series of the BBC’s hit Saturday and Sunday night show.

Former Coronation Street actress Ellie was crowned the Strictly Come Dancing 2023 champion on BBC One in December.

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