Strictly Come Dancing '24 Thread 1 : Who will be our celebs and Pros?

[EineReiseDurchDieZeit]

Starting a new SCD thread for chat prior to the series as the last is about to fill.

These threads are usually helmed by @PolkadotsAndMoonbeams and I normally deputise, but I haven't seen her around in a while

This thread will discuss who has been chosen for the show, but not who has been paired with who as that's a spoiler for the first show.

This is a NO SPOILER thread

Get Ready To KEEP DANCING.

I feel they need to make comments on the show here and there, reminding people it's literally an entertainment show and to mind how they treat contestants online.

Have you read what talent agent Melanie Blake has to say?

jesus.

https://x.com/MelanieBlakeUK/status/1815492579280240883

Somehow unsurprising

I wonder who the injured in rehearsal before it began celeb was @FailBetter might be able to work it out

And of course who the heck erection man was! Married narrows the field.

I feel grubby after reading that 😖

Well, that was quite an interesting read. She does mention Bruce Forsyth, though, so I wonder how many of the tales involve current pros?

Saying that some of the pros wanted to get voted off early puts a different spin on things. IIRC, the year that Steve Backshall did Strictly was the same year that Ola Jordan injured herself rehearsing for The Jump, much to the annoyance of the Strictly producers. I wonder if she was pissed off at being paired with Steve because he wasn't completely useless and unpopular and she couldn't sneak off and do a foreigner on another show?

Ugh.

That Melanie Blake post on Twitter is horribly revealing.

I am also trying to think who Erection Man could possibly be.

Being married definitely narrows the field.

I mean, we could all hazard a guess at Erection Man, but the whole 'Graziano being horrible' thing has completely made me doubt my ability to judge who is nice and who isn't.

Ok, I've just googled Melanie Blake (she does seem quite the self-promoter). Wikipedia says that she represented Stephanie Beacham (who was partnered with Vincent) and Claire King (Brendan Cole). Claire King has gone on record as saying that she did not get on with Brendan and that he was unsympathetic about her arthritis.

Melanie Blake used to represent Claire King, Gillian Taylforth and Stephanie Beacham.

Married pros around that time included Darren, James and Matthew Cutler (who you can rule out as he's gay).

Not sure about which was the pre-injured pro but definitely Brendan told Claire he hadn't wanted to be paired up with her. He wanted Emma Bunton or Carol Smilie. Claire was 42.

He used to do that a lot ("I want THIS one", on camera, about Helen George...who ended up with Aljaz)

x post sorry.

(Esma she also shagged Michael Hutchence, did you see that?!)

Wow! Just read the Melanie Blake piece.

Horrible behaviour. I suppose many pros have been used to adulation and being the centre of attention from childhood. Especially the male dancers. And in Strictly they are not meant to be the main focus, although they have become more “present” in the format over the years.

And that certainly makes sense about certain song choices!

Yes, he certainly got around.

I was going to add about Gillian Taylforth. She was partnered with Anton.

Yep, I'd be a diva and pick my own songs thanks
and the order
I'd want Joshua Keefe as my partner or a same sex partnership with Chloe Hewitt (#justice for Chloe) or if he asked me nicely, didn't do his Nell de Jaunes impression and promised not to smile in our tango, then I'd partner Mr. Jones.

He did get around - bloody gorgeous at his peak though - so sad that his accident left him with no sense of taste or smell.
I am surprised Strictly hasn't ever tried to get Pixie or Tiger to take part. Fortunately, they've both got sensible heads on their shoulders.

Gillian Taylforth had torn knee ligaments whilst in training for the live shows but chose to dance regardless.

That could make Anton the one accused of being rough!? (only surprised as I didn't think he had it in him).

[Gillian] keeps in shape with regular sessions in her home gym, although the knee injury she sustained in last year’s Strictly Come Dancing is still a problem.
She dislocated her kneecap five days into training and was voted off in the second week. She still sees a physiotherapist.

Source: Daily Express March 10th 2009
I tell my daughter that tests save lives | Express.co.uk

I do like sleuthing!

Brendan makes total sense for the

a) ageism
b) I've never heard of you rudeness
c) being vocal about not wanting someone
d) thinking he's bigger than the contestant/show

It all fits his known personality/historic behaviour

It might have been — I'm surprised he was rough, but he could count as an "incredibly high profile pro" and it does fit with the career building timeline. It was around then he did Bring On the Wall and that cooking show.

I always thought that Graziano's use of English was really poor, probably the poorest English speakers of all the pro's.

I thought Mathew Cutler, who won with Alesha, was married to Fran Cutler, another dancer.

Might be mixed up, Ian Waite was gay I think.

Not read the Twitter piece but intrigued now by who Erection Man is!

Who would have thought that ballroom dancing would end up being so controversial - I could never understand why anyone would take the risks of Dancing on Ice, which is obviously physically dangerous.

He was married to Nicole Cutler but is divorced and definitely gay

I just read that wow! I’m now shocked that it’s taken this long for all the inappropriate behaviour to come out…so it’s pros that were/are the issue not presenters/production according to her …

It’s grim 🤮

who are the culprits then?! 😮

I’m surprised AJ not said a thing…she was badly injured …