Strictly Come Dancing’s Shirley Ballas has warned that this weekend is going to be a complete blubfest when Graziano Di Prima and Johannes Radebe perform a same-sex routine.
The couple were confirmed to be performing together in a Strictly first as the show came under fire for not being more inclusive to same sex couples and partnerships.
Rehearsals are now well underway for the routine and head judge Shirley was full of praise for the moment, warning us to ‘get our tissues ready.
‘It’s the most magnificent thing I have witnessed in rehearsals,’ she said. ‘Johannes brings out such a wonderful joy of dancing, and him and Graziano just envelope the whole experience.
‘It warms your heart for sure.’
The show saw the professionals perform the first group same-sex routine to ever appear on the series last year.
Their performance to Imagine Dragons’ Believer was well received by fans, as it switched from male/female pairings to same sex mid-routine, but this is the first time it’ll be a one-on-one piece.
Johannes, who was eliminated last week in a controversial move by Shirley, has since praised his appearance on the show for letting him embrace himself.
This weekend’s Strictly is definitely going to be an interesting one, considering three of the stars appearances currently hang in the balance.
Will Bayley collapsed in on his knee after jumping off a table in rehearsals last weekend, with Neil also pulling out at the last moment with an injury of his own on Saturday night.
With Kevin Clifton stepping in to cover for pro Neil, Paralympian Will was given a bye through to next week in light of the injury – but he’s out if he can’t perform this upcoming week.
The team appeared hopeful on Tuesday as he was still in the line-up when this week’s dances were revealed, but with no official update, everything’s up in the air.
Metro.co.uk has contacted Strictly for further comment.
Now Katya Jones has reportedly had to pull out of rehearsals as well after injuring herself practicing with Mike Bushell.
Let’s hope there’ll be enough of the gang left to have a show to perform this Saturday!
On Sunday, the Strictly pros will be paying tribute to Elton John with their group performance, and Emeli Sande will perform her new single Shine.
Strictly Come Dancing returns Saturday at 7.15pm on BBC One.
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