Known as the Queen of Latin, Ballas is one of the most decorated professional dancers in the world, and is a three-time British Open to the World Latin American champion and 10-time United States Latin American champion.
Since retiring from competitive dancing in 1996, she has worked as a coach to top professional and amateur dancers, and as an adjudicator for ballroom and Latin American competitions around the world.
Strictly Come Dancing’s Len Goodman’s critique of Ed Balls’ The Mask-themed Samba spoke for the nation a few weeks ago. Ed Balls has defied expectations to become one of the most popular contestants on the show.
Despite coming bottom of the leaderboard throughout the series, Balls and dance partner Katya Jones have escaped elimination each week.
“Even those who didn’t like him before are warming to him now” Jones says. “He’s just a normal human who came in knowing nothing about dance, and he’s trying so hard.”
Rutherford has just returned from the Rio Olympics where he won a bronze medal in the long jump final. He announced his taking part in the celebrity dance contest on BBC's The One Show alongside actors Lesley Joseph and Tameka Empson.
Joseph is most remembered for her role in the 1990's hit sitcom Birds of a Feather, where she played promiscuous neighbour Dorien, while Empson rose to prominence in her hidden camera comedy 3 Non-Blondes in 2003. She currently stars on EastEnders as the bubbly but vicious Kim Fox.
The Head Judge of the BBC’s Saturday night hit has announced that the next series, his fourteenth, will be his last.
Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman are to present new series, and judges Craig Revel Horwood, Bruno Tonioli and Darcy Bussell will also be returning.
The RTS-award winning show has not yet announced this year’s line-up of celebrity contestants who will be taking to the floor to win the glitterball trophy in the autumn.
