Strictly Pro Kai Widdrington Reveals How He Really Feels About Not Having A Celebrity Partner

Speaking to the Daily Star, Kai shared: “Everyone wants to get a celebrity. Unfortunately it wasn’t my time this series.

“Two boys couldn’t have one this series and sadly I am one of them. Some of us don’t get partners and that’s the way it is.”

He added: “Let’s see what happens next year. Hopefully I’ll get one then.”

As well as Kai, Carlos Gu and Lauren Oakley have also been benched this year, but remain part of Strictly’s troupe of professionals, and will continue to appear in group routines over the course of the series.

This year marks Kai’s first year without a partner, having previously been paired up with Big Brother host AJ Odudu, Loose Women anchor Kaye Adams and TV personality Angela Rippon.

He joined Strictly in 2021, having previously been a pro on the Irish version of the show, Dancing With The Stars.

Kai did already have a Strictly connection, though, as he once lived with former professional Giovanni Pernice while the Italian dancer was still part of the show.

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Here’s The Full List Of This Year’s Strictly Come Dancing Couples

Saturday night’s pre-recorded launch show saw the 15 new celebrities in the cast discovering which of Strictly’s resident professional dancers they’ll be performing with for the duration of the series.

Just in case you missed it – here’s the full list of celebrities and their professional dance partners:

These 15 pairings are now in training for the first live show of the series, which is due to air on BBC One on Saturday 21 September.

Meanwhile, Michelle Tsiakkas has received her first ever celebrity partner in EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick, having been part of the Strictly team since 2022.

Unfortunately, this also means that – as was previously rumoured – Carlos Gu, Kai Widdrington and Lauren Oakley will not be getting celebrity partners in 2024. However, they will remain part of the show’s resident dance troupe, and continue to appear in group dances.

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Strictly’s AJ Odudu Gives Cryptic Response When Grilled About Kai Widdrington Romance Rumours

BBC/Keiron McCarron

AJ Odudu and Kai Widdrington dancing a Tango earlier in the series

Those romance rumours surrounding Strictly Come Dancing favourites AJ Odudu and Kai Widdrington definitely aren’t going anywhere – with the TV presenter giving a cryptic response when asked about the speculation once again.

AJ told PA Media: “I find it exciting that everyone’s interested in us enough to take note of all of these things.

“The way I see it is, everyone can see how well we’re getting on and how hard we’re working in order to try our best each and every week to put in a solid performance.”

After being asked outright whether there was any truth to the rumours, she responded: “Well, one thing that is definitely for sure is, we are doing a lot of dancing.” 

Ray Burmiston/BBC

Kai Widdrington and AJ Odudu

With the single stars repeatedly being asked about reports they’re more than just dance partners in interviews, even Claudia Winkleman got in on the fun during last week’s Halloween special, urging them to kiss live on air.

“It’s all just a bit of fun, isn’t it?” AJ told PA of the continued rumours. “I mean, at the end of the day, me and Kai are just focused on the Strictly experience as a whole, and we’re just focused on dancing and putting our best performance forward each and every week.

“So none of that stuff bogs us down at all. We don’t have time to be pressed to be totally honest with you. And Claudia is so lovely, and is so kind to us each and every week, so it’s all fun and games.”

Saturday night’s live show saw AJ and Kai topping the leaderboard for the second time, with a near-perfect score of 39 points.

BBC/Guy Levy

AJ and Kai’s Charleston stole the show on Saturday night

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