BBC Strictly star hints at return in major shake-up | | UK News

A former Strictly Come Dancing favorite has voiced his enthusiasm for the prospect of an all-stars version of the beloved dance competitors.

Ian Waite, who graced the BBC‘s Saturday evening sensation from 2004 to 2010, has floated the thought that a particular collection that includes fan-favourite pairs might be a major draw for the viewers.

During an exclusive dialog with BANG Showbiz, Ian opened up about the potential for such a collection.

He said: “It’s definitely something that they could look into because there’s so much nostalgia.”

Ian, who during his tenure on Strictly Come Dancing was paired with well-known figures like Zoe Ball, Denise Lewis and singer Mica Paris, fondly mirrored on his earlier collaborations.

He nostalgically recalled his time on the show, commenting: “Everybody loves the old pros from Strictly and the nostalgia that goes around it with certain couples, let’s say Darren (Bennett) and Jill Halfpenny and me and Zoe Ball, Vincent (Simone) with Rachel Stevens,” reviews Wales Online.

Convinced that the return of celebrated partnerships would captivate viewers, Ian remarked: “There’s a lot of couples that could possibly come back and yeah, an all-stars would be a great thing to do I think.”

Despite the latest points that have forged a shadow over the show, including the complaints made by Amanda Abbington about her skilled companion Giovanni Pernice in the 2023 season, Ian stays hopeful for the future of Strictly Come Dancing.

Giovanni has since left the professional line-up, alongside Graziano Di Prima after a BBC investigation into the show.

Ian believes that the introduction of new safeguarding measures will help forestall comparable incidents.

Reflecting on his time on the show, he remarked: “This is an isolated case I think. In general the pros are really professional and really hard-working. In my experience, we’ve all worked really hard, we’ve all done competitions, we’re all at the top of our game and that’s why we’re on Strictly.

“Hopefully the safeguarding is in place now so that that will not occur again and I feel that’s the best for everyone actually because it protects not only the celebrities but it protects the professionals – because who’s to say we cannot be abused.”

Ian is currently taking part in The Return of the Legends tour with fellow former Strictly stars Brendan Cole, James Jordan, Pasha Kovalev, and Vincent Simone.

He has been taken aback by the strong sense of brotherhood they’ve formed, despite their naturally competitive natures.

He shared: “That’s what’s been so great, we have this actually great bromance backstage.

“I wasn’t really sure whether we’d all be able to bond because we’ve all done our own shows and been very successful performing in our shows.

“We weren’t sure whether or not we would have the option to get on but truly it is like a correct bromance backstage and we all love each other. We all recognize each other.”

The Return of the Legends tour is set to grace the stages of Llandudno’s Venue Cymru and Cardiff’s New Theatre later this year.

Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One and iPlayer later this yr.