Strictly Come Dancing 2024 cast will be performing couple routines for the first time tonight, but it’s not just their moves that will lead to success.
To get their hands on the glitterball trophy, the Strictly stars may have to enter themselves into a contest within a contest. Chris McCausland, with Dianne Buswell’s help, is currently proving to be the most successful at it.
To get the British public to vote for them, the pairings cannot just disappear after shaking their stuff on Saturday nights.
They must remain in viewers’ minds throughout the week, and convince the audience that they are likeable. On top of that, it’s imperative to communicate that they have a strong friendship with their professional dancer partner.
While they can do this with appearances on TV – The One Show, Lorraine, This Morning, and Loose Women are favourite stop-offs – the couples often control their own narrative and post regularly on social media.
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Of course, in 2024 a lot of people, particularly celebrities, use online platforms anyway to share updates on their lives. But, it’s undeniable the posts increase as the interest mounts in the Strictly stars.
Dianne, 35, and stand-up comedian Chris, who has appeared on Have I Got News for You, Not Going Out, and other BBC comedies, have shared six videos together in six days. In the clips, the pair often sit down together to talk about topics that have arisen during the training sessions.
In the latest post shared on Instagram and TikTok, Dianne shows Chris a message that her dad Mark sent to wish them luck in their first ‘concert’, the name he has given to Strictly live shows.
‘Chris has not been blessed by seeing my dad’s message yet,’ Dianne began.
Chris, who went blind at age 22 after suffering from Retinitis pigmentosa, quickly jumped in to add: ‘Or anything in life. Let’s not just stop at seeing your dad’s messages. I haven’t even seen our dance. Your dad’s messages are just one of many things. I haven’t seen my own face in 30 years.’
Mark wished them luck, and said he looked forward to meeting Chris when they visit the UK from Australia in November.
‘He’s the sweetest man but it sounds like you’ve gone missing and he’s doing a press conference,’ he joked, much to Dianne’s amusement.
Chris’ quick humour (that was also evident when he told Dr Punam Krishnan:‘Can I just say, none of us can believe we managed to get in the same room as a GP’ on the launch episode) and clear bond with Dianne has been lapped up by fans. They are already declaring them ‘the best partnership’ before a single performance – group dance doesn’t quite count.
‘If you are having a bad day, feeling a little lost in this world, then watch these videos, honestly they will just make you smile, this is by far the best partnership,’ commented VictoriaLindsay84.
Inkerlisa equally doesn’t need to see them do their Cha Cha to Twist and Shout by The Beatles in tonight’s episode, she’s already asked nobody to vote them out. Luckily, you vote to keep in so there will be nobody doing that.
‘Chris is Dots best partner to date. Good luck Chris and Dianne for tomorrow night. ❤️,’ she continued.
Tamsin Niven declared them her winners. ‘Give them the glitterball right now!! this partnership is one for the books,’ she demanded.
With Dianne’s one million followers on Instagram, and similar numbers on TikTok, as well as her YouTube channel with 270k subscribers, many eyes are on their content. Chris also has a healthy 90k following his movements on Instagram, to help them whip up support.
They are not the only ones giving an insight into what goes on Monday to Friday. JLS singer JB Gill, 37, and Amy Dowden, 34, have posted a video highlighting just how much he has to learn in a comical sketch.
Over in another nondescript training room, EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick, 30, captured footage of him teaching Michelle Tsiakkas, 29, some of his dance moves and quickly shared it with the world. While, Tasha Ghouri, 26, and Aljaž Škorjanec, 34, have been miming viral soundbites and pranking each other, with some videos receiving over 100k likes.
Reality star Pete Wicks, 36, and Jowita Przystal, 30, were a little quieter in the digital sphere until they got ‘told off’ and held an emergency Q&A session. Whether that was by BBC, or his own management is unclear.
‘Right, so, we’ve been told off,’ Pete admitted in a post to his Instagram Story on Wednesday.
‘We’ve been told off because we haven’t done any social media together from rehearsals. So today we’re going to do a Q&A.’
Letting fans enjoy the Strictly experience is something pairings have been doing for years.
In 2023, winners Ellie Leach, 23, and Vito Coppola, 31, kept people guessing about the status of their relationship with their online activity. While fellow finalists, Layton Williams, 30, and Nikita Kuzmin, 26, also shared fun antics from the training room.
Dianne documented her time with Bobby Brazier, 21, her then-partner, which fans enjoyed too.
We’ll soon find out if Chris’ personality can translate onto the dance floor, and impress the judges. While subtly canvassing for votes online just by being yourself can take the partnerships so far, they also need to combine it with skilful, or at the very least, entertaining dances to keep returning.
Only time will tell who will pick up the glitterball trophy… and if they’ll be livestreaming the aftermath.
Strictly Come Dancing continues tonight at 7pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
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