Montell Douglas smiling in Strictly promo pic
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BBC addresses speculation Montell Douglas ‘let slip’ her Strictly 2024 pro partner

The 2024 pairings will be officially revealed soon...

Strictly 2024 begins very soon and many fans are probably wondering who will be paired with who. But has one contestant let slip her pro partner?

The announcement of the star-studded Strictly cast has ramped up excitement for this year’s series.

Comedian Chris McCausland, JLS’ JB Gill, broadcaster Wynne Evans, singer Toyah Willcox and Dr Punam Krishan will all take part.

Love Island’s Tasha Ghouri, TOWIE’s Pete Wicks, former Coronation Street star Shayne Ward and Miranda’s Sarah Hadland will also take to the dancefloor.

Strictly has also announced EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick, swimmer Tom Dean and Gladiators star Montell Douglas as part of the cast.

Meanwhile, DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles, football pundit Paul Merson and hockey player Sam Quek complete the line-up.

Montell Douglas in Gladiators picture as Fire
Montell, known for her role on Gladiators, will star on Strictly 2024 (Credit: BBC)

Montell Douglas on Strictly

But it is Montell – otherwise known as Fire on Gladiators – who has sparked rumours with her potential blunder.

According to reports, Montell only follows one of the professional dancers on Instagram – Nikita Kuzmin.

Adding more fuel to the rumours, Nikita was reportedly also one of the first professionals to comment on Montell’s announcement that she had joined the line-up.

He wrote underneath the post: “Yeaaaa welcome,” with a red heart emoji.

However, nothing is confirmed and the BBC insisted that celebrity and pro dancer pairings will be revealed during the launch show next month.

Strictly added Nikita to the pro line-up in 2021, and they have partnered him with Tilly Ramsay, Ellie Simmonds, and Layton Williams.

He finished in sixth place with Tilly in 2021 and 10th place with Ellie in 2022.

However, last year he narrowly missed out on the Glitterball trophy in a same-sex pair with Layton, finishing in second place.

Nikita Kuzmin smiling in Strictly promo pic
Nikita is back for another series of Strictly! (Credit: BBC)

Fans delighted over Nikita’s return

Nikita announced back in June that he would be returning for this year.

He wrote on Instagram: “I am thrilled to announce that I will be joining Strictly again for my 4th season!! Can’t wait for all the new and exciting things coming up.”

Fans were ecstatic that the dancer would be returning to the show.

I am thrilled to announce that I will be joining Strictly again for my 4th season!!

One commented: “Great news, can’t wait for Strictly to start.”

A second added: “Thank the Lord. Strictly would not be the same without you. You are the new Aljaz [Skorjanec].”

Meanwhile, a third wrote: “So happy you are returning back on Strictly cannot wait to watch you on it.”

Read more: Tasha Ghouri and Jamie Borthwick favourites to win Strictly 2024 as full line-up confirmed

Fresh From Their Samba: Strictly's Layton Williams & Nikita Kuzmin | Lorraine

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