Strictly Come Dancing 2021: Rose Ayling-Ellis, AJ Odudu to appear in live tour; plus Christmas special routines REVEALED
AJ Odudu will finally get to perform her unseen finale showdance during Strictly Come Dancing's live UK tour in the new year.
The 33-year-old TV presenter and her professional partner, Kai Widdrington, had to pull out of the dance competition's final after Odudu suffered an ankle injury, which meant she never got to perform her routine to Naughty Boy's Runnin'.
The tour will also feature 2021 Strictly champions actress Rose Ayling-Ellis and her partner, Giovanni Pernice, and the runners-up, Bake Off star John Whaite and professional dancer Johannes Radebe.
Meanwhile, the routines for the Christmas special routines have been revealed.
First Dates star Fred Sirieix has revealed he will be dressed as a festive turkey and will fly through the air during the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special.
And Jay Blades will join partner Luba Mustuk and dance the jive to the Only Fools And Horses theme song, Hooky Street.
Other celebrities taking part include First Dates host Fred Sirieix, comedian Mel Giedroyc, pop star Anne-Marie, newsreader Moira Stuart and TV presenter Adrian Chiles.
Read our Strictly live blog below for the latest news and gossip...
Inside Strictly John Whaite’s former home
Here's a look into the star's former home in Greenwich, London.
John and his fiancé Paul Atkins moved into the Grade II listed property in Greenwich back in 2013.
The lavish property situated in the borough of Greenwich includes 2-foot high ceilings and sash windows, gymnasium, a tennis court and a swimming pool.
Fortunately for John, the rustic kitchen was furnished with elite cooking features and high panelled windows.
After a month of the house being on the market, the one-bedroom apartment was quickly purchased for £330,000.
The couple now live together in Leeds where his food business is located.
The glamorous living room in the Greenwich property had timeless furnishing Credit: Zoopla Almost perfect score during the final
Rose and Gio scored an almost perfect score during the final, finished on 119, the same as their competitors, Johannes Radebe and John Whaite.
The pair kicked the night off with their movie week Quickstep, performing with beaming smiles and fancy footwork.
It got them an impressive 39 points, and Giovanni followed it by telling Rose it had been a dream to dance with her, calling her a "friend for life".
Their second dance stunned the judges and audience at home with their powerful part-silent routine.
There wasn't a dry eye in the house as the pair briefly cut the music to Clean Bandit's Symphony and put the spotlight on Rose's deafness.
Judge Motsi Mabuse said it was so special and a beautiful dance, while Shirley Ballas said she was an "inspirational young lady".
Rose Ayling-Ellis’s boyfriend bursts with pride
Strictly winner Rose Ayling-Ellis' boyfriend made his studio debut last night as he burst with pride supporting his girlfriend.
Samuel sat beside Rose's mother, Donna, and watched his girlfriend stun the judges with three phenomenal performances.
He 'clapped' in sign language and leapt to his feet after Rose's first dance, a quickstep.
Winner Rose set to become one of BBC’s biggest stars
Following her success of staring on Strictly Come Dancing, Rose Ayling-Ellis’s Strictly has now paved the way for her to become one of the BBC’s biggest stars.
Bosses are said to be keen on making the 27-year-old a “poster girl” for the channel, and are planning a documentary about her life and career in the New Year.
A source said last night: “The sky is the limit for Rose, regardless of the result.
“BBC bosses have been blown away by how she has conducted herself.
“She is incredibly inspirational to everyone — not just the deaf community — and has won people over with her charm and courage.
“This could be the start of some very big things for Rose.”
Calls on broadcasters to follow in footsteps of Strictly winner Rose (Continued...)
James Taylor, executive director of strategy at , said:
“For Rose Ayling-Ellis to have starred week-after-week on Saturday night prime time – and then lift the glitterball trophy - is a massive step forward.
“However, there is still a very long way to go until disabled people are featured fairly on screen. There are 14.1 million disabled people in the UK and their lives and stories are not being told.
“Seeing disabled people on TV will only help improve understanding and break down barriers. So, the fact that Rose’s journey has been beamed into living rooms week-in week-out is excellent progress and must be the start of real change.
“We have seen a victory for representation on our screens, challenging the stereotypes of what disabled people can do.
"We want more broadcasters to step up and feature the talents of disabled people.”
Calls on broadcasters to follow in footsteps of Strictly winner Rose
Disability equality says Rose Ayling-Ellis’s Strictly Come Dancing journey has been a “massive step forward” for disability representation.
But the charity has called on more broadcasters to feature disabled people’s talents, and says there is still a long way to go to improve representation of disabled people on our TV screens.
Despite 1 in 5 people in the UK being disabled, just 20 per cent of TV viewers say they’ve seen more than 10 disabled people on their screens in the last year.
EastEnders Rose Ayling-Ellis WINS Strictly
ROSE Ayling-Ellis was crowned the 2021 Strictly champion tonight after a dazzling and emotional battle with John Whaite.
The EastEnders star, 27, was the heavy favourite ahead of the series finale, and she didn’t put a foot wrong on her way to claiming the Glitterball with Giovanni Pernice.
Rose gold
Fans were bowled over by Rose winning Strictly last night.
They were in floods of tears over her tribute to Gio.
The future's Rosy
Strictly winner Rose Ayling-Ellis’s Strictly success has paved the way for her to become one of the BBC’s biggest stars.
Bosses are said to be keen on making the 27-year-old a “poster girl” for the channel, and are planning a documentary about her life and career in the New Year.
It comes after The Sun told this week how TV chiefs are also keen to cast her in an upcoming drama.
A source told The Sun on Sunday last night: “The sky is the limit for Rose, regardless of the result.
“BBC bosses have been blown away by how she has conducted herself.
“She is incredibly inspirational to everyone — not just the deaf community — and has won people over with her charm and courage.
“This could be the start of some very big things for Rose.”
Ice queen
Oti Mabuse is joining ITV’s Dancing on Ice as a judge, the Sun on Sunday can reveal.
The Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer, 31, has landed the big TV gig after starring on the BBC prime-time show for six years.
Legendary
Fans have nothing but praise for Strictly’s first same-sex pairing John and Johannes.
No showmance
John has confirmed there’s no chance of romance between him and pro partner Johannes.
The Strictly runner-up told The Sun: “When you spend that much time with someone, you see them warts and all. I think I’ve burped in Johannes’ face — I might have even farted at one point.
“There is no attraction because you see sweat and everything.”
No fix row
Well, there's a first time for everything.
One fan Tweeted during the show: " If Rose doesn't win strictly come dancing I swear it's a fix!! She was amazing and didn't make any mistakes!"
Strictly chaos
Strictly Come Dancing's final was thrown into chaos with last minute no-shows, injuries, and one 'dreaded' star's return.
And as fans settled on the sofas with their drinks and snacks for the final of the BBC dance competition, there were three fewer routines to feast upon.
Because injured AJ Odudu is unable to compete producers have grappled with making last-minute changes to the programme filmed at Elstree Studios.
AJ out
AJ was left devastated on Friday as she announced her withdrawal due to suffering a nasty injury, which left her on crutches and unable to dance.
She was due to perform three dances with Kai Widdrington in a bid to win the Glitterball Trophy.
Rose Ayling-Ellis was crowned the 2021 Strictly champion after a dazzling and emotional battle with John Whaite.
The EastEnders star, 27, was the heavy favourite ahead of the series finale, and she didn't put a foot wrong on her way to claiming the Glitterball with Giovanni Pernice.
Hot Mamas
All the sparkles for these two.
Congrats to Tess and Claudia for another fabulous year of Strictly hosting duties.
Oti and out
Last year's Strictly winner Oti is joining Dancing on Ice as a judge.
Oti, who won with Bill Bailey, will replace John Barrowman, 54, on the series after he was axed following allegations he exposed himself on the sets of BBC’s Doctor Who and spin-off show Torchwood.
South African-born Oti will sit on the expert judging panel alongside Olympic ice-skating greats Jayne Torvill, 64, and Christopher Dean, 63, and also Diversity’s Ashley Banjo, 33, when filming begins next month.
No show curse
John has confirmed there's no chance of romance between him and pro partner Johannes.
The Strictly runner-up told The Sun: "When you spend that much time with someone, you see them warts and all. I think I’ve burped in Johannes’ face — I might have even farted at one point.
"There is no attraction because you see sweat and everything."
Simply the best
Could this be Stictly's most iconic line-up yet?
Fans were so impressed to watch Rose, the show's first deaf star, win and to see John, who was in Strictly's first same-sex pairing with Johannes, come second.
Legendary
Fans have nothing but praise for Strictly's first same-sex pairing John and Johannes.
Strictly fantastic
Fans are still gushing about the Strictly finals where Rose won.
One Tweeted: "What a night to be alive… HISTORY!"
AJ out
AJ was left devastated on Friday as she announced her withdrawal due to suffering a nasty injury, which left her on crutches and unable to dance.
She was due to perform three dances with Kai Widdrington in a bid to win the Glitterball Trophy.
Fan-tastic ending
Strictly fans cannot have wished for a better final.
Historical night
Fans have praised Strictly for representing the gay community and deaf community in tonight's finals.
One Tweeted: "I make no apologies for going on about it, this show filled my heart with joy tonight. The importance of this year's #Strictly for marginalised communities everywhere cannot be overstated. Big well done @bbcstrictly, you absolutely smashed it!"
