STRICTLY Come Dancing’s first pairing appears to have been ‘confirmed’ with just weeks until the new series starts.
Contestant Nick Knowles, 61, and professional Nadiya Bychkova, 35, were seen filming at a London shopping centre today, sparkling speculation they’ve been put together by bosses.
The DIY SOS star looked sharp in a blue suit while Nadiya exuded casual elegance in a white shirt and jeans.
The two seemed to be enjoying their time together, with Nadiya laughing as she chatted with a member of the BBC film crew.
Nadiya, who has been a pro dancer on Strictly since 2017, has been paired with a number of celebrities over the years.
These include Davood Ghadami, Lee Ryan, David James, Dan Walker and Matt Goss.
But, last year, she wasn’t partnered with anyone.
At the time, Dan led the backlash – comparing it to leaving football great Lionel Messi on the bench for a World Cup final.
He wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Strictly is such an amazing show and it’s almost time for the new series, what a great line-up this year.
“All the pros are great but gutted to hear that @nadiyabychkova hasn’t got a partner.
“I’m sure she’s still looking forward to being part of the biggest show on TV.
“But it feels like putting Messi on the bench for the World Cup final!”
Nadiya was thought to be a shoo-in to be paired with a celeb, as she has since she joined six years ago.
It was a particular surprise given the BBC used her so predominantly in the publicity to drum up interest ahead of the start of the 21st series.
She still took part in group dances but fans were bewildered by her being denied a starring role with a partner — a sentiment said to be shared by Nadiya.
An insider said: “She’s terribly upset and so confused as her star wasn’t just rising, it was soaring.
“If she has done anything wrong, she has no idea what it is as she’s always dedicated herself to Strictly.
“Of course, she understands that among the dance troupe there are always more dancers than there are pairings.
“So it’s a little bit like rotating players in a football team.
“But many viewers will be wondering why someone who’s widely regarded as a striker ends up sitting on the subs’ bench when they have so much to offer the squad.”
Nadiya, who recently split with fellow pro Kai Widdrington, has built up a strong following since she first appeared in the cast.
Strictly has come under fire in recent months after abuse allegations.
Strictly Come Dancing's scandal has been growing over the past few months, with several major players speaking out about what went on. Here are the key moments of what's happened so far
16th May: Giovanni Pernice sensationally quits Strictly Come Dancing after nine years on the show.
17th May: Giovanni becomes the centre of an official investigation after three former partners – believed to be Amanda Abbington, Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh – make complaints to the BBC.
16th June: Giovanni releases an official statement vowing to clear his name and denies any wrongdoing.
8th July: Strictly confirms Aljaz Skorjanec will return to the series, replacing Giovanni, after initially quitting the show two years ago.
10th July: Amanda Abbington launches fresh legal proceedings to get the rehearsal footage from her time with Giovanni, after allegedly he refused to release the videos.
13th July: Graziano Di Prima is axed from Strictly for “gross misconduct” after footage of his treatment of Zara McDermott is brought to the attention of the BBC.
Graziano quickly broke his silence, apologising for his behaviour in a statement and saying he “deeply regrets it”, adding his “intense passion and determination to win might have affected his training regime.”
15th July: Strictly bosses implement new duty of care protocols, including having a chaperone present throughout all rehearsals.
16th July: Zara McDermott speaks out publicly for first time. She states while the production team were “amazing to work with”, she found the rehearsal room “completely different”, confirming there’s footage of “certain situations”.
19th July: Anton Du Beke is put under the spotlight for his “1970s attitude” and treatment of female celeb stars, particularly after allegedly referring to 2009 partner Laila Rouass as a “p***” after getting a spray tan.
21st July: Paralympian Will Bayley, who has limb condition arthrogryposis, revealed he was encouraged to leap from a table during a dance routine, despite fears. The stunt caused an injury that forced him to withdraw from the show.
22nd July: MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace admits he broke down in tears and got a nasty stress rash on his face during his time on Strictly in 2014.
22nd July: Despite ongoing issues, the Strictly professional cast begin rehearsals for this year’s series.
23rd July: Celebrity agent Melanie Blake claims she was sexually assaulted by an unnamed pro dancer while backstage on the show, and claims she witnessed ageism, rudeness and a rough treatment to the point of injury.
23rd July: Strictly is forced to beef up security after ‘an intruder scales the wall of the rehearsal studio’.
23rd July: BBC boss Tim Davie breaks his silence on the ongoing allegations against Strictly, saying he is ‘deeply sorry’, adding: “Hundreds of people, be they pros, contestants or crew have been part of it and had a brilliant experience.
“At the same time if someone thinks there was something wrong or they want to talk about their experience then of course we want them to raise that with us. Be in no doubt we will take it seriously, listen and deal with it as appropriate.”
24th July: Strictly 2023 star Krishnan Guru-Murthy holds a bombshell interview with Amanda Abbington on Channel 4 news, where she claims she was bullied, with some of the ‘humilation being of a sexual nature’.
27th July: Laura Whitmore releases a statement regarding her Strictly experience, saying “I thought my experience was specific to me but I’ve since learned I was wrong”.
She adds she is not part of the official complaint, but has come forward to support Amanda with the BBC, alongside others.
28th July: Laila Rouass speaks out against the accusations regarding Anton Du Beke, saying she “never felt pressured” by him and “personally insisted on six to seven hours training a day”.
10th August: Graziano breaks his silence on his Strictly axe, saying “these vile, false allegations have ruined my life.”
He also told of the “shocking” end to his friendship with Zara McDermott.
We also revealed that Amanda Abbington was also quizzed for a second time as Strictly execs recruited 15 new staff to monitor rehearsals.
11th August: Just as the investigation was expected to conclude, Amanda made a dramatic intervention. Giovanni was on the brink of being cleared until Amanda handed in more text messages.
24th August: Graziano Di Prima called in top lawyers to sue the BBC and to try to clear his name. He recruited big hitters Whitestone Chambers to fight his corner.
A source said: “They’ve also looked at his BBC contract and believe there are grounds to sue.”
Meanwhile, the BBC also delayed releasing the findings of the probe into Giovanni Pernice. The Sun revealed that the results of the three-month investigation were unlikely to be announced in August.
And, last month, it was revealed that Nadiya had made a complaint against the show.
An insider told the Mail: “Nadiya got in touch out of the blue and wanted to talk to the bosses.
“They are taking every single murmur of a complaint seriously now so she was immediately asked in.
“She has been on the show for some years so will have seen and lot and possibly also experienced unpleasant behaviour, she will have worked with many people.
“Things really are getting serious now, it is a mess and it is getting worse by the day.”
Giovanni Pernice was axed from the show in May after his former partner Amanda Abbington filed a complaint about him.
He denies all allegations.
Meanwhile Graziano Di Prima was fired in July after claims he hit, spat at and kicked his partner Zara McDermott during rehearsals last year.
