The 2025 series of Strictly has yet to officially kick off, and already, it’s bad news for pro dancer Neil Jones.
Since Monday (August 11), the show has been announcing which celebs have joined this year’s line-up. During This Morning today (August 14), two more names were added to the star-studded mix.
Former Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison was the first to be revealed. No stranger to a reality show, she was previously crowned Queen of the Jungle on I’m A Celeb in 2015.
Later in the show, Neighbours star Stefan Dennis was announced. Since the 1980s, he has been a series regular as Paul Robinson in the Australian soap.
Neil Jones tipped to ‘find himself without a partner’ ahead of 2025 Strictly series
As the list of celebrities taking part continues to reveal itself, it is currently unknown who they will be paired with.
The upcoming series will kick off on Saturday, September 20, for its launch show. Week one of the competition, however, will air live on Saturday, September 27.
That said, with the launch over a month away, bookies at William Hill have already predicted that Neil will be one of the professional dancers who will be unfortunately most likely be benched.
“After several of the Strictly professional dancers were missing from a recent promotional video, speculation about who may miss the upcoming edition of the BBC series is rife,” spokesperson Lee Phelps said.
“Neil Jones has appeared on several series of the show, including last year and when finishing fifth with celebrity partner Alex Scott in 2019, but is just 1/6 to find himself without a partner this time around, ahead of the next most likely to miss out, Carlos Gu at 10/11,” he continued.
Other pro dancers who didn’t feature in the promo video…
However, bookies also predict two other dancers could be in trouble…
“Others who didn’t feature in the recent video, include former Strictly winner Katya Jones and Karen Hauer, who are 6/4 and 7/4 respectively to miss out on the new series,” Lee added.
Earlier this month, Spanish dancer Gorka Marquez announced he would not be competing during this year’s series. He revealed this was down to scheduling conflicts. He will be working on Bailando con las estrellas, the Spanish edition of Dancing With the Stars.
He assured fans: “I will be a part of lots of the group numbers and will be back for final weeks of the show to support the rest of my fellow pros and their celebrities in what is going to be an AMAZING SERIES.”
Read more: Strictly Come Dancing announces two new professional dancers for 2025 series
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