All posts tagged: Dancing

Mark Ballas gives his verdict on Maura Higgins joining Dancing with the Stars and his 3-word piece of advice — exclusive

Mark Ballas gives his verdict on Maura Higgins joining Dancing with the Stars and his 3-word piece of advice — exclusive

Published by Daniella Wilson

From the castle to the ballroom, Maura Higgins is set to make a splash in the upcoming season of Dancing with the Stars. After becoming a nationwide star during her run on season four of The Traitors, which saw her go all the way to the end as the very last Faithful standing (before being blindsided by Rob Rausch), the Irish TV star is set to put on her best dancing shoes. © Getty ImagesMark Ballas and Maura Higgins participated together on season four of “The Traitors” Maura, 35, was the first celebrity contestant announced to participate in the upcoming 35th season of Dancing with the Stars, joining fellow Faithful and longtime DWTS pro Mark Ballas in the ballroom. Speaking exclusively with HELLO! at the 79th Tony Awards on Sunday, June 7 in New York City, which he attended with wife BC Jean, Mark, 40, shared what piece of advice he’d given to Maura ahead of her DWTS debut, simply put: “Just enjoy it.” Recommended videoYou may also likeWATCH: The cast of season 4 of …

Jemaine Clement on age-gap comedy Alice and Steve, dancing to ABBA with Matt Berry, and separating the art from the artist

Jemaine Clement on age-gap comedy Alice and Steve, dancing to ABBA with Matt Berry, and separating the art from the artist

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Wearing dark double denim and a white T-shirt, with thick black Hockney-esque glasses balanced on his nose, Jemaine Clement walks into the lounge of a smart London hotel and immediately points to the medley of ornamental headwear hanging behind me. “You should put that on,” he remarks, gesturing towards a gentleman’s top hat. “It’ll really suit you.” A friend, his fellow New Zealander Cliff Curtis, one of Hollywood’s leading Māori actors, once said of Clement that he just looks sideways and for some reason, it’s hilarious. Watching him adapt to these plush surroundings – a giant chandelier, striped marble, towering delphiniums – I think Curtis was exactly right. “Sometimes it just feels funny to do a little expression,” Clement says, with a little expression. “Maybe I rely on them too much.” The 52-year-old is laconic and softly spoken; his laugh reduces …

Strictly Come Dancing star: BBC drops Janette Manrara as It Takes Two host

Strictly Come Dancing star: BBC drops Janette Manrara as It Takes Two host

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Janette Manrara will no longer host Strictly Come Dancing companion show It Takes Two, the presenter has announced. Manrara, a former professional dancer on the BBC series, suggested the move was a part of a major overhaul, telling her YouTube followers: “Strictly Come Dancing has changed hugely, and I am no longer a part of It Takes Two or the main show. She said she will “still be involved in other ways”, but didn’t specify what this would include. Janette Manrara has been dropped as host of ‘Strictly: It Takes Two’ (BBC) “It just means that I’m free to pursue and do many other projects that I’ve always wanted to do and never really thought about doing,” she said. “Strictly is all I’ve known for the last 14 years, so it is a bit like, ‘Oh, we’re going into a different …

Strictly Come Dancing legend claims BBC asked him to host Celebrity Traitors

Strictly Come Dancing legend claims BBC asked him to host Celebrity Traitors

Published by Daniella Wilson

Bill Bailey has claimed he was approached to host The Celebrity Traitors but turned it down due to scheduling commitments. The former Strictly Come Dancing champion was speaking to Australian breakfast programme Today, and said he was in the running to host. He said: “Here’s a scoop for you, I was actually offered the role of hosting Traitors, Celebrity Traitors. I couldn’t take the role because I was doing something else.” Radio Times has reached out to the BBC and Studio Lambert for comment. Bailey also revealed he was asked to compete on Prime Video’s Last One Laughing, but was busy working on another project. “The recording was when I was actually away filming a travel documentary.” he said. Want to see this content? This page contains content provided by YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as YouTube may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose ‘Accept and continue’ to allow YouTube and its required purposes. Accept and continue A representative for Bailey told The Independent that he …

New Strictly Come Dancing host caused former star’s elimination after ‘having a word with judges’

New Strictly Come Dancing host caused former star’s elimination after ‘having a word with judges’

Published by Sam Flores

Josh Widdicombe has been announced as one of the three new hosts of Strictly Come Dancing, after having previously competed in one of the Christmas specials while dressed up as a penguin. But it’s not the only history he has with the BBC show, as he (jokingly) stated that he was responsible for getting one celebrity contestant eliminated. In Saturday’s episode of Blankety Blank with Bradley Walsh, Josh took part alongside Sam Campbell, Ria Lina, Dean McCullough, Helen George, and Sam Quek. Guy Levy – BBC Related: Best streaming services UK 2026 – including Disney+, Netflix, iPlayer and Apple TV When Bradley asked the panel if they had previously crossed paths with Josh, Sam said she has a bit of a “love-hate relationship” with him. “The last time we had a proper catch-up was a certain week in Strictly Come Dancing that happened to be my last”, she said. Josh joked that the week he went to see the show in 2024 just didn’t happen to be her last – it was her last because …

Strictly Come Dancing 2026 line-up rumours, from This Morning star to EastEnders favourite

Strictly Come Dancing 2026 line-up rumours, from This Morning star to EastEnders favourite

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter In a matter of months, the contestants for this year’s Strictly Come Dancing will start being announced. Seven months after Former England footballer Karen Carney and her professional dance partner Carlos Gu lifted the Glitterball trophy, the rumour mill surrounding the BBC’s popular dancing competition has been kicked into overdrive ahead of its 24th series. The professional dancers set to participate in the 2026 series have already been revealed – with five former stars leaving the series outright, and Johannes Radebe now promoted to one of three new hosts, alongside Emma Willis and Josh Widdicombe. But who will they be partnered with? According to reports, the celebrities set to grace the dance floor will include Jeff Brazier, EastEnders star Lacey Turner and Dani Dyer. Jeff Brazier and Dani Dyer are rumoured for ‘Strictly’ 2026 (Getty Images) Dyer’s name might not be …

Nadiya Bychkova breaks silence on Strictly Come Dancing exit

Nadiya Bychkova breaks silence on Strictly Come Dancing exit

Published by Daniella Wilson

Nadiya Bychkova is putting her best foot forward following her unexpected departure from Strictly Come Dancing. The Ukrainian ballroom star has been a firm fan-favourite for nearly a decade, making her exit amid the show’s recent casting shake-up a surprise to many. But in her first interview since the announcement, Nadiya tells HELLO! that she is not only embracing the bright side of this new chapter, but also planning a triumphant return to the ballroom. But more on that later. During our exclusive photoshoot on a beautiful spring day, she appears entirely carefree and joyous as she poses in London’s historic Chelsea Physic Garden. Yet, behind the radiant smile, she has surely had to navigate a whirlwind of emotions. So, how did she truly feel when she found out that she was being let go from Strictly? © Danny CravenNadiya Bychkova “In general, my mentality is that I think life has its way of guiding you and finishing things when they need to be finished,” she says. Clearly feeling philosophical about the decision, she adds: …

‘My 15-year-old relative was killed for refusing to marry her cousin. My family celebrated by dancing in the street’

‘My 15-year-old relative was killed for refusing to marry her cousin. My family celebrated by dancing in the street’

Published by Sam Flores

The men of my tribe [extended family] threw my relative Kawthar Bashar al-Husayjawi, 15, into a pit and put a little dirt over her body. They had killed her hours earlier with 10 bullets, and split her small head with an axe. My family then joined others in coming on to the streets to dance and celebrate her death. Kawthar lived in al-Nahrawan, a district in the south-east of Baghdad. She had been taken out of school and at age 13 forced to marry an alcoholic years older than her. She was subjected to a year of violence and mistreatment before fleeing back to her family, who initially subjected her to house arrest and constant pressure to return to her husband and abuser. She threatened to end her life and, eventually, was officially divorced in court late in 2025. Soon after, her cousin was released from prison and asked Kawthar’s parents for her hand in marriage. Kawthar refused as everyone knew the groom was involved in dealing in drugs and alcohol. Her family ignored her …

So long, for now, to the no-phones club that let us party like it was 1999

So long, for now, to the no-phones club that let us party like it was 1999

Published by Sam Flores

In the main room, which evokes the feel of a club scene from a 2000s movie with dance battles and Lindsay Lohan, the DJ booth is elevated and almost out of sight, encouraging dancers to face one another rather than whoever is playing. Then, at the hit of a spotlight, a surprise musical performance begins. From rappers and singers to DJs, the musical programme is diverse and well thought-out, with recent acts including Celeste, Fcukers, OK Williams and Lancey Foux. Source link