Strictly Come Dancing pairings leak online ahead of BBC return

‘That’s spoilt Saturday night,' one angry fan wrote

Strictly Come Dancing fans have been left confused after this year’s top secret pairings were leaked online.

The 18th series of the popular BBC show is returning this evening (17 October) with an episode that was pre-recorded earlier this week.

It will reveal which professional dancers are paired with this year's celebrity contestants, including DJ Clara Amfo, EastEnders star Maisie Smith and comedian Bill Bailey.

While it remains unconfirmed whether the source is legitimate, we won't be listings the pairings here as we don’t want to spoil the surprise for dedicated fans.

“It was nice not knowing the pairings - that's spoilt Saturday night,” one upset fan wrote on Twitter, with another adding: “So allegedly the strictly pairings have leaked online. Thought they weren’t having a studio audience this year? I hope I don’t come across them, I’ve been waiting for this series and don’t want any spoilers.”

One pairing that is strongly expected to become a reality is Olympic boxer Nicola Adams and Katya Jones.

Adams, who has been praised as an LGBT+ role model, told the Daily Star earlier this year that she asked BBC bosses to be partnered with a female professional dancer when she signed up to take part in the show.

“It was important to me because of diversity,” she said. “I just wanted to do something different and I didn’t get the big deal being paired with another female.

“We go to nightclubs and girls dance with girls all the time and professional female dancers dance with girls all the time, so I don’t think it’s a big deal.”

Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One tonight at 7.50pm.