
Strictly Come Dancing Predictions & Tips: Which Celebrities Are Taking Part?
Strictly Come Dancing producers have already confirmed the line-up of professional dancers for 2020, but the list of celebrities taking part in this year’s show has not been confirmed and will not be confirmed until early September at the earliest. However, the rumour mill is running rampant at this time, as it always is, and several stars are already being linked with an appearance on the show.
Actor Jack P Shepard, who plays David Platt on Coronation Street, could be the latest Corrie star to appear on the hit BBC show after his girlfriend sent out a post on Instagram asking if anyone knew of “any good Ballroom Dancing classes in Manchester”.
And speaking of soap stars it feels almost inevitable that somebody from the BBC’s hit soap EastEnders will make an appearance. Kara Tointon, Jake Wood, Kellie Bright, Scott Maslen, Jill Halfpenny, Davood Ghadami, Lee Ryan, Charles Venn and Emma Barton have all appeared on Strictly Come Dancing over the years and there is speculation that Shona McGarty or Jacqueline Jossa could join that list in 2020.
Having a BBC newsreader or presenter appear on the show is nothing new and BBC Breakfast host Louise Minchin is being tipped to follow in the footsteps of Mike Bushell and Kate Silverton, while a whole host of current and former sporting stars are being linked with Strictly Come Dancing 2020, including Sir Chris Hoy, Lizzy Yarnold and Ben Ainslie.
Strictly Come Dancing Predictions & Tips: When Is Strictly Come Dancing 2020?
The launch date for Strictly Come Dancing 2020 has not been confirmed yet, but previous series give us a timeline of how things will play out.
The full line-up will be confirmed as part of a launch show that will air sometime in either late August or early September, and the weekly live broadcasts are then expected to get underway sometime around late September/early October.
Current uncertainty could alter those timelines, but right now Strictly Come Dancing 2020 is expected to go ahead as planned.
Strictly Come Dancing Predictions & Tips: Who Will Win Strictly Come Dancing?
Of course, without a confirmed line-up it is difficult to predict who will win Strictly Come Dancing 2020, but if we go by the current rumours, and the bookmakers’ odds, then Jack P Shepard could well be the man to back… if his footwork is good enough of course.
Shepard has built up a massive fanbase thanks to the years of treading the cobbled stones of Coronation Street, so if he can deliver good routines he will almost certainly receive big backing when viewers phone in their votes each week. His odds are not great though, especially when his participation is not confirmed, so if you really want to bet on the outright market I would recommend overlooking Shepard in favour of one of his Coronation Street co-stars.
Kym Marsh has been linked with Strictly in recent years and this year could be the year that she finally steps out on famous dancefloor. And should she do that, she has to be a contender to win it all. After all, Marsh has previous as a dancer having been part of pop band Hear’say before crossing over into the acting world. That experience could stand her in good stead for Strictly 2020.
Strictly Come Dancing Predictions & Tips: How Can I Bet On Strictly Come Dancing?
Betting on Strictly Come Dancing could not be easier. It goes without saying that bookmakers are always going to cover popular television shows like this, especially when they are in a competition format, and the bookies tend to offer several Strictly Come Dancing betting markets throughout the year.
The Strictly Come Dancing Outright Winner betting market is opened long before the final line-up is confirmed by producers and up until the competing celebrities are confirmed you will have a large list to choose from plus the ability to request odds for unlisted celebrities.
This market is narrowed down once the final line-up is confirmed and is available throughout the competition, with the odds fluctuating depending on how celebrities perform each week. If a dark horse shines their odds will soon shorten, but if an early favourite turns out to have two left feet then you can expect to see their price go the other way!
The bookmakers also offer the opportunity to bet on Strictly Come Dancing’s next elimination each week, and when it gets to the Grand Final itself customers can usually bet on the order of the final three, from champion down to the third-placed celebrity.
Strictly Come Dancing Predictions & Tips: Who Has Won Strictly Come Dancing?
Seventeen series of Strictly Come Dancing have aired to this date and there have a whole variety of winners, ranging from sports stars to television presenters, singers to models.
Emmerdale actor Kelvin Fletcher lifted the Glitterball Trophy in 2019 after joining the show as a late replacement, and his victory made him the third soap star to be crowned Strictly Come Dancing champion.
Here is a full rundown of previous Strictly Come Dancing winners and their professional partners…
YEAR | CELEBRITY | PROFESSIONAL DANCER |
2004 (May-July) | Natasha Kaplinsky | Brendan Cole |
2004 (October-December) | Jill Halfpenny | Darren Bennett |
2005 | Darren Gough | Lilia Kopylova |
2006 | Mark Ramprakash | Karen Hardy |
2007 | Alesha Dixon | Matthew Cutler |
2008 | Tom Chambers | Camilla Dallerup |
2009 | Chris Hollins | Ola Jordan |
2010 | Kara Tointon | Artem Chigvintsev |
2011 | Harry Judd | Aliona Vilani |
2012 | Louis Smith | Flavia Cacace |
2013 | Abbey Clancy | Aljaz Skorjanec |
2014 | Caroline Flack | Pasha Kovalev |
2015 | Jay McGuiness | Aliona Vilani |
2016 | Ore Oduba | Joanne Clifton |
2017 | Joe McFadden | Katya Jones |
2018 | Stacey Dooley | Kevin Clifton |
2019 | Kelvin Fletcher | Oti Mabuse |