Strictly Come Dancing contestant Chris Appleton has revealed a gift he received from his close friend Kim Kardashian ahead of his debut on the BBC dance show. The hairstylist, 43, is known for styling Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez and is set to compete in the new series.
On Friday, Appleton shared a video on Instagram Stories showing a bouquet of white roses sent by Kardashian, along with a card telling him to "break a leg." The card read: "Break a leg, you got this, xo." Appleton captioned the video "the sweetest surprise."
Fans are hoping Kardashian might appear in the Strictly audience to cheer him on. Appleton has also received advice from another famous friend, Selling Sunset star Chrishell Stause, who competed on Strictly's American counterpart, Dancing With The Stars.
"My friend Chrishell has done Dancing with The Stars in the US," Appleton said. "The best piece of advice she gave me was to just have fun and enjoy every bit, because it goes so quickly."
New hosts explain shake-up
Strictly is going through a major overhaul for its 24th series after long-time hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly announced during last year's series that they were quitting. In May it was confirmed that presenter Emma Willis, comedian Josh Widdicombe and Strictly professional dancer Johannes Radebe would take over.
In their first major interview this week, the trio said the format was still being worked out. Willis told The Rest Is Entertainment podcast that having three presenters was a "wild card" choice for producers. "There's no like for like, so no one's kind of replacing anybody and at the minute it's all very kind of open," she said. "We're having lots of production days where we go in and we play around and we're kind of feeling each other out - well, they're feeling us out really."
Widdicombe told podcast host Richard Osman: "It's going to be like total football, Richard. We're going to be moving everywhere." Willis also said Radebe "definitely" would not be taking on a "backstage roving reporter" role as had previously been suggested.
Social media strategy draws criticism
The overhaul has included a heavier focus on social media stars, which has disappointed some loyal fans who have criticised the new line-up as "weak" and lacking "household names." Insiders say the BBC has deliberately targeted celebrities with large social media followings to attract younger viewers, following a strategy credited with the success of Dancing With The Stars in the US.
Appleton has 4 million Instagram followers, while fellow contestant and sports YouTuber John Nellis has 15.7 million YouTube subscribers. Dancing With The Stars introduced a TikTok Night last year, in which contestants performed viral dance routines, boosting engagement among younger viewers. Its TikTok account now has more than 5 million followers, compared with Strictly's 670,000.
Professional dancers axed
Even before this year's celebrity line-up was announced, several professional dancers were dropped as part of the same strategy, including Nadiya Bychkova, Karen Hauer, Michelle Tsiakkas, Luba Mushtuk and Gorka Marquez. It is understood that pros with bigger online followings have been favoured. Bychkova, who has 214,000 Instagram followers, was axed, while Dianne Buswell, who has 1.2 million Instagram followers and 973,000 on TikTok, has kept her place. Five new young pros have been recruited, including ballroom champion Maddie Ingoldsby, who has 364,000 TikTok followers.
The new hosts also carry a strong online presence. Widdicombe has more than half a million Instagram followers on his personal account, and his podcast Parenting Hell has 250,000. Willis has 2 million Instagram followers, and Radebe has 458,000.
An insider told The Sun that the BBC now struggles to attract big-name celebrities because "the pipeline that used to feed these big shows has changed." The source said boyband and girlband stars are less prevalent and that landing a soap or drama star, once a major coup, has "diminished somewhat." "Now, though, social media is continuing to boom and big stars from the world of TikTok, YouTube and Instagram are known to a vast section of society," the insider said.
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC iPlayer and BBC One at 7:25pm on Saturday, September 19.
Meet the 2026 contestants
Lacey Turner, 38, best known for playing Stacey Slater on EastEnders, said: "I'm so excited and terrified at the same time but I've had so many friends do Strictly and I thought it was about time that I plunked up the courage."
Delta Goodrem, 41, who played Nina Tucker in Neighbours and has released eight albums, said the ballroom floor is one stage she has never stepped onto.
Cach Mercer, 25, winner of Love Island 2025 and a TikTok influencer, said he grew up watching the show and cannot wait to try the Foxtrot.
Dame Sarah Storey, 48, Britain's most successful Paralympian, called the challenge "hugely exciting" so soon after retiring from athletics.
Bethany Antonia, 28, who plays Lady Baela Targaryen in House of the Dragon, said she is excited to learn a new skill.
Graeme "The Dogfather" Hall, 59, host of Channel 5's Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly, called it an exciting but "nerve-wracking" challenge.
Tabby Stoecker, 25, an Olympic champion skeleton racer, said dancing in the ballroom fulfils a childhood dream.
Melanie Walters, 64, who plays Gwen West in Gavin & Stacey, said her Strictly "fix" has always come from watching backstage during pantomime season.
Dani Dyer, 30, Love Island winner and daughter of actor Danny Dyer, said she hopes to make it further than week one this time.
Chris Appleton, 43, said he is thrilled to be "coming home to the UK" for the experience.
Will Best, 41, host of Big Brother, said nothing has prepared him for a challenge like this.
The line-up also includes actress Jaime Winstone, 41, known for Kidulthood and Tomb Raider; former footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips, 44, who played for Chelsea and Manchester City; Lawrence Robb, 34, who plays Mackenzie Boyd on Emmerdale; and John Nellis, 33, the face of a popular football YouTube channel.
