With the pairing reveal fast approaching, Best has spoken to Attitude about what he is expecting from the competition.
Will Best says he’d be “very happy with a male partner”
Speaking to Attitude, Best says he’d be “very happy with a male partner”, though he noted one major problem: “They’re all too tall for me.”
“So the downside would be I wouldn’t be able to do as many lifts. But then on the plus side, I’d probably be able to actually get lifted, which would arguably be more fun anyway,” Best explains.
As of yet, there have been four same-sex pairings on the show, and in all four examples, at least one half of the partnership was publicly LGBTQ+.
Same-sex partnerships in
The first was Olympic boxer Nicola Adams, who was paired with Katya Jones in 2020, followed by celebrity baker John Whaite and Johannes Radebe in 2021, comedian Jayde Adams and Karen Hauer in 2022, and actor Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin in 2023.
If Best were to be paired with another man, he’d be the first straight celebrity to be paired with a professional dancer of the same sex.
The TV personality will star alongside several other notable names, with one all the way from Down Under.
Who is in 2026?
Australia’s 2026 entry and performer will be putting on her dancing shoes.
Coming back home to the UK from the US is celebrity hairstylist , who is one of two publicly LGBTQ+ stars competing on this year’s competition.
Bethany Antonia, of House of the Dragon and fame, is the second, set to light up the dancefloor.
The new series starts on BBC One at 7.25pm on 19 September 2026, with the celebrities being paired with their professional partners.
Full line-up”
- – star
- – winner and TV personality
- – winner
- – Paralympic cyclist
- – former footballer
- – actor
- – football content creator
- – actor
- – Winter Olympic gold medallist